


Book One: The Bite Of The Beast

by war_the_horsemen



Series: the Lycan Chronicles [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Aggression, Angst and Feels, BDSM, Beast - Freeform, Betrayal, Biting, Blood Kink, Blood and Gore, Body Hair, Boyfriends, Car Sex, Chains, Character Development, Chest Hair, Collars, Consensual Possession, Curses, Dirty Talk, Dirty Thoughts, Dom/sub, Domestic Fluff, Edgeplay, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Forest Sex, Frenemies, Friends to Enemies, Full Moon, Gay Panic, Gay Sex, Guns, Hair Kink, Hair-pulling, Height Differences, Height Kink, High School, Hunters, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Jealousy, Jealousy Kink, Knifeplay, LGBTQ Themes, Light Bondage, Love, M/M, Magic, Master/Pet, Masturbation, Mild Painplay, Minor Character Death, Monsters, Muscles, Nipple Clamps, Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Pain, Pet Names, Piercings, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Sex, Praise Kink, Predator/Prey, Rain Sex, Safewords, Scars, Scent Kink, Semi-Public Sex, Sex Toys, Size Difference, Size Kink, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Spanking, Swords, Torture, Wattpad Brought Me Here, Werewolf, Werewolf Courting, Werewolf Culture, Werewolf Hunters, Werewolf Politics, Werewolf Turning, Whipping, Witches, bitten, straight to gay, territorial
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:34:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29509086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/war_the_horsemen/pseuds/war_the_horsemen
Summary: Evander Rue had his entire life planned out since birth. He was the prodigy of his small town where everyone knew everyone and outsiders weren't welcomed warmly. Growing up with a silver spoon in his mouth Evander always knew he was higher up in the financial hierarchy and used it to his advantage. Evan wasn't perfect, but he always knew who he was. He was captain of the football team with a full-ride into an excellent football college. Unfortunately, that could be at risk because of a silly mythology class.However, it seemed as if fate had a sense of humor-the new kid, the local witch's loner nephew, seemed to take over his world. At first, Evander didn't spare him a glance, leery of the newcomer, but the jock had more important things to worry about, like his birthday party and maintaining his reputation. The new kid's arrival or his grades didn't pause on Evander's celebration; he was going to be an adult officially. Nothing would keep him from celebrating, not even a cautionary howl under the light of the full month.
Series: the Lycan Chronicles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2167704
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Disclaimer

This is Book One in the Lycan Chronicles.

All stories are © Ares War. Distribution of these works anywhere, but the Wattpad or Archive of Our Own websites may not be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please contact the author.

Buckley town and everything to do with the schools I mention in this story are complete figments of my imagination. If there is a town named Buckley out there (I highly bet there is), it isn't the one I'm talking about. I use Buckley town and another one called Veniko in my stories. Sometimes I even make Buckley/Veniko a state (sometimes). I repeat, BUCKLEY and VENIKO are NOT REAL! (and if they are, they are NOT the ones in my story). 

**To my Wattpad readers:** Since Wattpad has been bought by WEBTOON a lot of mature stories have been getting deleted, and I expect mine will eventually be as well, which is why I will be posting my updated works on here (and on Wattpad as well until my stories get deleted). All versions will be the same as of right now. 

** To my new readers: ** Hello, I go by Ares War, and I am a Wattpad writer, but now I also belong to Ao3 now. If you've read the memo to my Wattpad readers (I also placed it in the tags), then you should somewhat be aware that I don't trust Wattpad due to past experiences with them, so now I'll be posting my original works on here.

That's it, I hope you enjoy the story.

_War out!_


	2. The Glossary

**Hunter:** Hunters were professional monster hunters typically born into the monster hunting business. They were commonly born into wealthy families, which meant fancy toys to kill the big bad monsters with. Most of them only killed the important upper-class creatures because they were too high up in the food chain to worry about the commoners. They didn't typically hunt regular vampires or werewolves or even wendigo's. They went after the most powerful. If you took care of the leader, the rest would fall.

 **Knights:** Knights were hunters, but they were self-trained. Knights were the lower class as most would say, that hunted the creatures every single day to keep the secret a secret, and unfortunately, they weren't the richest, and they had to earn their names.

 **The Christun** : The leader of the Church and the Gargoyles. He recruits new hunters, communicates with the Vatican for any updates, and sends the best of the best Gargoyles on essential missions. Every Church has one, and without him, the Church wouldn't function. If anything happens, the first person to alert is him, for he has the final word.

 **Gargoyles** : Demon hunters, they are humans, but they have enhanced strength and speed that aids them in destroying demons. Gargoyles are all given a rosary by the Church and taught to speak Latin to perform exorcism if necessary. Each hunter is given a sword that is made for killing demons. Most modern-day hunters transfer the magic in the sword to a gun or another weapon of their own choice. Once their training is complete, they are branded by a hunter mark; back in medieval times, the mark was stamped onto their forearms, but as time progressed, it was converted into a tattoo.

 **The Magister** : Teaches recruits the basics of how to hunt demons, teaches them Latin, and how to use their swords/weapons. The Magister is often a retired hunter or a current hunter with experience.

 **Werewolves** : A witch cursed the original werewolf, who was once a man to become a flesh-eating beast during the full moon. At the stroke of midnight, they usually shift once a month, and sometimes twice. They have enhanced abilities, speed, strength, sense of smell, among other things. The only cure is a silver bullet heart to the chest. Like ordinary wolves, werewolves live in packs and tend to stay north in the cold. And when a pack forms, an Alpha is selected to lead them.

 **Vampires** : Much like werewolves, the vampire curse was created by witchcraft in Europe. But unlike the wolves, vampires can only generate more vampires through biting and cannot reproduce sexually. Their skin is sensitive to sunlight and silver. Some vampires have unique abilities and can shift into a giant bat-like creature. They are immortal and are often mistaken for demons.

 **Hunter's Mark:** The Hunter's Mark is two swords crossing and a double sided axe in between them. A shield with a roaring lion on it to symbolize protection is placed in the middle. _Nos hunt tueri innocentem, et occidere bestias_ is written on the edges of the mark creating a border.

 **Knight's Mark:** The Knight's Mark is two swords crossing with a shield in the middle with a cross embedded on the shield. _Nos hunt tueri innocentem, et occidere bestias_ is written on the edges of the mark creating a border.


	3. Prologue

Midnight paced anxiously back and forth as he waited for his parent's arrival. His older sister, Tempest, sat on the staircase steps watching her younger brother with a calm look on her face. Anxiety ate at Midnight; he kept moving his hands from his thighs to his hips, then to run them through his thick straight black hair. His parents should have been back from the hunt by now. Cora and Jedrek were the best of the best, so there was no reason for him to worry. Yet, he couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that stirred in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what. Tempest had been no help in calming his nerves. If anything, the witch made Midnight worry even further. For someone who had supernatural powers, she seemed too calm. Never a good sign. A relaxed Tempest was a careless Tempest.

The clock chimed loudly, echoing off the walls and down the halls mockingly. Midnight's heart started racing as he stared at the clock, momentarily pausing his pacing. He glanced at his sister accusingly, who frowned deep in thought. Turning his body towards his sister's Midnight pointed an accusing finger at the grandfather clock, "Two hours, they're two hours late. They were supposed to be here, look at me in the eye and tell me something doesn't seem off. If they were going to be late, why haven't they checked in yet?"

"Relax." Tempest snapped her dark gray eyes, narrowing down to slits. "We'll call Donovan and ask him if he knows anything-"

"You don't think I haven't already tried? I've called everyone! Even Uncle Corvus, but no one knows where the hell they are, not even Luna." Midnight threw his hands up in exasperation; the nervousness finally made him crack. Tempest's expression didn't change, making her brother's temper flare furthermore. "Do you even care? How can you sit there, look at me in the eye and tell me everything's going to be alright?"

"Watch it!" Tempest stood her eyes, turning deep violet. "They're my parents as well. I know you're worried, but if anyone can handle themselves, it's them. Relax, they'll show up." Midnight set his jaw, meeting his sister's gaze unwaveringly. They had a staring match for a few minutes before Tempest blew out an exasperated breath. "Fine, if they're not back in another hour, we'll go out ourselves to look for them, all right? Just stop looking at me like that."

"Fine." Crossing his arms, Midnight continued to pace, chewing at his nails. Tempest rolled her eyes as they faded back into dark gray. Taking her seat back on the steps, she watched her brother pace with a blank face. Thirty minutes passed by agonizingly slowly, but there still wasn't any word from their parents. With each passing minute, the concern was finally awakening in Tempest as she glanced uneasily between the clock and the door Midnight paced in front of. It was another ten minutes when they heard Tempest's phone ring. Grabbing it from her purse, she held the device up to her ear, "Hello?"

"Tempest? Is Midnight with you?" Jedidiah whispered into the phone, his tone grave and urgent. It made a shiver run down her spine. Jedidiah was one of their family friends, and they grew up together and even went on hunts together. Pulling the phone away from her ear, she put it on speaker so Midnight could listen in.

"Yes, what's wrong? Have you heard from our parents?"

"Tempest, your dad's here. Don just told me, listen, I don't know why but they told me not to tell you or Midnight this, but something is wrong. Jedrek came back alone, and he refuses to say anything about what happened during the hunt. The council and the Christun are meeting with him in the Cathedral." Midnight's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Why?"

"I don't know, but it's complete chaos here at headquarters. From what I could gather, an Elder was spotted, but it hasn't been said which one yet." Both Midnight and Tempest's eyes widened in disbelief.

"An Elder?" Tempest asked in incredulity. "What would an Elder be doing here in North America?"

"I don't know. That's just what I heard."

"Right, well, thanks. _Beatus venandi_."

" _Beatus venandi_." Tempest hung up the phone, watching her brother grab his jacket and keys, walking out of the front door. Without much thought, Tempest rushed after him into the cold night. "Midnight, wait! Where are you going?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to the Cathedral. I want answers, something is going on, and they don't want us to know about it, so you can either join me or get the hell out of my way." His gray eyes shined with determination as he locked eyes with Tempest. The wind howled, blowing through their dark hair as they once again engaged in a staring match. A minute passed before Tempest silently opened the passenger door and got in while Midnight sat behind the driver's wheel. Turning the engine on, Midnight pulled out of the driveway and drove to the Cathedral.

The cold wind blew the trees making the dying leaves fall from the branches. The full moon glowed mockingly in the black sky at the Hunters. Midnight glanced at it every once in a while before returning his eyes to the road. He was fully aware of the consequences of his actions, but it was a price he was willing to pay. The worst the Cathedral could do was take his gun away, maybe even bench him. Neither one of those things mattered to him. He had a spare gun, and if he wanted to, he could go hunting whenever he wanted to. Hunters hunted to protect the innocent, not because some old religious fart told them to. If Midnight wanted to save and defend humankind by going werewolf hunting, he didn't need permission from anyone.

"What do you plan on doing when we get there?" Tempest spoke up, staring at the road with a blank face. Midnight's hands visibly tightened around the wheel.

"I'm going to find out what happened, Jedidiah said dad was there, but he said nothing about mom. I don't know about you, but I see that as a red flag. Unless she's somewhere else, then something happened to her." He said tightly, taking a sharp turn pulling up to the old Cathedral. Several hundred feet tall, the building was centuries old with stained glass windows of angels battling demons and the archangel Michael casting his brother Lucifer to hell. In normal daylight, the Cathedral was made of stone, but it looked ominous and uninviting in the darkness. Parking the car on the curb, Midnight saw that there were various cars around that he recognized. One of them was his father's.

Turning the engine off, he threw the door open, slamming it shut behind him as he walked up to the wooden double doors. Hunters, Knights, and even Gargoyles were standing in their posts, eyes scanning the area for intruders. Paying no mind to them or their protests, Midnight pushed and shoved his way inside, throwing the doors open storming inside. Not bothering to pay any attention to the breathtaking structure of the Cathedral, he walked past the altar right in the back rooms. Walking up the steps, Midnight could his sister's footsteps echoing behind him. The farther in they went, the more Hunters they came across, all trying to stop them, but the siblings managed to slip from their grasp.

Walking up to the door with the Hunter's mark on it, Midnight didn't bother knocking and instead opened the door. The council and the Christun were seated on the long table, staring down at a tall man with graying black hair. They all snapped their heads towards the door in shock to find a fuming Midnight standing in the doorway with Tempest behind him with her usual blank face. "Someone want to tell me what's going on here?"

"Midnight, what are you doing here?" Jedrek Storm narrowed his gray eyes down to slits at his youngest child. Midnight stepped into the room, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You were supposed to check-in _hours_ ago." He snapped, meeting his harsh gaze with his own. "I came here to find out what happened, and now that you're here, maybe you can answer my question. Where is mom?"

Silence.

A look of grief and self-determination crossed Jedrek's eyes as he turned his gaze away from his son's. An uneasy knot twisted in Midnight's stomach; it made his mouth dry and his heart race with anticipation. Gulping down his nerves, he glared at Jedrek, "I'm not going to ask you again, where is my mother?"

"Midnight, I think you should-" The Christun stood taking a step forward, but he raised a hand to stop him.

"No offense, but this is between family, so I think you should stay out of it. Now, I asked you a question. Look at me in the eye and tell me the truth. I won't leave here without it." His glare turned cold and unmerciful. After a few eerily quiet seconds Jedrek lifted his gaze and met his son's eyes. All emotion he had seen earlier was gone and replaced by a mask, a shield he had often seen him wear when something caused him pain. He wore it when he didn't want others to see him when he was hurting.

"You're not a child anymore, Midnight. You want the truth?"

"Jedrek." One of the council members warned, glancing between him and his son, but he ignored her.

"Your mother and I went on a hunt. Something went wrong; that's why neither of us called or checked in. We thought the Lycan was alone, but it turns out it had company. When we realized it, it was already too late." Jedrek's eyes darkened as the look of pure horror on his son's face carved itself into his memory. "I wasn't paying attention. I was focused on the beast in front of us, and that _thing_ got too close. Cora was bitten, and it was my fault for not paying attention. It was my mess, so I fixed it."

"What do you mean, you ' _fixed_ ' it?" Tears were running down his porcelain cheeks freely. His bottom lip quivered involuntarily as he shouted at his father, "Where the fuck is my mother, Jedrek?"

"Dead, I shot a silver bullet into her heart and killed her." 


	4. One

Immediately upon receiving his test, he flipped it over so no one could peek at his score. Mythology wasn't his best subject, and it was starting to show. Evander didn't see the point of learning about myths when more important things could be taught. Maybe he was just bitter because he was failing the course, but it wasn't like he wasn't doing well in his other classes. It was a requirement if he wanted to stay on the football team.

"Perfect score as always." Nova Aldred, Evan's girlfriend, said smugly as she scanned her paper with disinterest. Nova knew her score would be perfect since not only was she one of the smartest girls in school but because she was just naturally good at everything she did. She flipped her wavy black and honey-colored hair over her shoulder, her eyes gazing upon her boyfriend's expectantly. He looked away, not being able to look at her in the eyes, rolling his shoulders awkwardly as he stuffed the cursed paper into his bag. From the glance he had gotten at it, the teacher had written a small message.

_See me after class._

She would inevitably confront him about his grade and warn him that if he didn't get it up, she would have to talk to his coach. Evan would get benched until he got it up, and if he didn't, he would get kicked off the team. Unfortunately, even insignificant classes like Mythology 101 were taken seriously enough to remove students from school activities. It was ridiculous, but Evan didn't make the rules. He was just forced to follow them.

"What did you get, babe?" Nova asked lightly, poking shoulder. Putting up a facade that he knew she would fall for, he gave her his signature charming smile that made her cheeks rosy. 

"As if I would ever get anything below a ninety. C'mon, babe, what kind of question is that?" Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers in a light kiss that made her grin widely. The scent of her perfume tickled his nose unpleasantly. It was rose-scented, a smell he utterly loathed with his entire being. It was chemically and artificial, and he could not for the life of him understand the appeal it had to his girlfriend. However, he wouldn't dare tell Nova her perfume gave him a headache. He liked living.

"Just making sure." She said, teasingly playing with a lock of blonde from his head. Batting her long lashes up to him, she gave him a suggestive look. "Wouldn't want my baby struggling with a class as easy as mythology. Like come on, this is kid stuff."

 _Easy for you to say smartass_ , he thought bitterly though he kept his face pleasant.

"Yeah, I know." He lied through his teeth as he put his arm behind her seat. Looking down at her, he took a moment to take in her features. She was a small thing, not passing five feet of height with a curvy figure. Her dark brown eyes were warm but knew they were capable of turning cold and uncaring for those she didn't care for. Her golden honey skin was flawless, and probably due to her exotic, expensive skincare, she raved on and on about. Still feeling the intense heat about the topic of the test, he decided to change the subject to something he knew would distract her, "You excited about the party tomorrow?"

Instantly she perked up and started yapping his ear off about what she would wear. It was an easy escape; he had to only get her off his back about the test subject and give him time to think about what he would say to Mrs. Symanski. She'd start with the whole speech about how she expected better from him, give him a fake warning, and then proceed to the conversation's real subject, which was what Evan could do to bring his grade up. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the thought but was conscious of the fact that Nova was talking to him and was supposed to be paying attention. He'd tune in every once in a while and nod along to whatever she was saying. It was mostly about what she was going to wear and who was going to the party. The party wasn't just any party but Evander's eighteenth birthday party. He was holding it at one of his family's vacation houses in the middle of the forest. They used to go there in the summer to go camping. Well, Evander and his father did, along with a few of his uncles. His mother wasn't much of a nature person.

"Who did you invite?" Nova asked, catching his attention.

"Everyone from school, the vacation home is large enough to fit everyone, so I decided the more, the merrier besides there's going to be booze and weed there. Someone's bound to get drunk and make a fool of themselves." He snorted, making her giggle and nod in agreement. Nova turned to her friend, who had been sitting next to her, and they both went on and on about the party. Evan sighed with relief, leaning back in his chair. He had a moment to himself and his thoughts, which had last been about his mother.

Evander didn't consider himself to have been a needy child. However, it was in the nature of an infant to want to be held and cared for by the ones who brought them into this world. Evan was undoubtedly confident that if his mother hadn't been three months pregnant when she discovered she was with child and that his father wasn't there when Katherine was told, she would have aborted him on the heartbeat. If she could have paid off another woman to carry him for the remaining six months, she would have. Unfortunately for her, Alexander, Evan's father, insisted on producing an heir. Upon hearing the news that his wife was bearing his child, he was exceedingly pleased. Especially when he heard that he would be having a boy. At least that's what the maids and cooks told him when Evan had asked.

Now, this didn't mean Katherine didn't love nor care for Evander. Even though she wasn't thrilled by how much surgery she needed to have after labor to regain her once flawless figure, Evander was her little boy. Which is why she interviewed various women to find him the perfect nanny. Katherine was a smart woman who didn't trust easily, which is why she hired a woman well past her mid-thirties that would not only be able to keep up with him but too old for her husband's eyes to wander. Not that she had ever caught or heard of Alexander committing acts of such loose behavior. It was just a precaution on her part.

The bell rang loudly, and students around Evan started packing up their things quickly as they rushed to their next class. He had whispered to Nova that he had to talk to the teacher about an assignment and that he would catch up with her later. Reluctantly she had left, but the promised look of questions in her eyes made him sure that she would be interrogating him later.

Mrs. Symanski was sitting behind her desk, looking down at her phone. Sighing through his nose, Evan got up, slinging his book bag over his shoulder as he walked up to the wooden desk. "You wanted to talk to me, Mrs. Symanski?"

Looking up, she immediately put her phone down and gave him her undivided attention. Her dark eyes were soft but stern as she motioned for him to take a seat at the desk in front of hers. He did so mutely though not removing his bag off his shoulder. "We both know why I asked you to see me, Evander. You're a smart student, and I honestly have to say I'm disappointed. You know I have office hours where you can come in if you need extra help with the material, or even your girlfriend, Miss Aldred, could assist you with homework and studying."

He said nothing and let her continue. It was pointless to give her excuses when he knew she wouldn't believe him.

"I'm afraid that if you don't get your grade up, I'll have to be having this conversation with Coach Upshaw. I know you're the quarterback, but grades come first." She pushed up her reading glasses as her expressions to one that was a bit more relaxed. "I can give you two options to help improve your class score. You come in during my office hours twice a week, or get you a tutor. It can be Miss Aldred if it makes you more comfortable."

Evan couldn't help but cringe at the thought of letting Nova know he was failing and almost desperately shook his head, "I would prefer to leave her out of this if you wouldn't mind. Is there no one else who could tutor me?"

Mrs. Symanski hummed in thought as she went through her grade book, doing a quick scan. "I would have to ask him first, but the new student Midnight Alexavier is also at the top of the class. He could help you study for homework and tests."

Evan bristled at the name.

Midnight Alexavier was the new student at Veniko High School. A tall gothic dressing loner who kept to himself and sat at the very back of the class. He was also the nephew of the town witch Luna Alexavier who was accused of Satanism and necromancy. Of course, those were just rumors, and there was no factual evidence of that, but it didn't stop the townsfolk from talking. Not that it had bothered the witch; in fact, Luna was completely unbothered by what others said and thought about her. Her nephew was just like her. Since the first day of school, Midnight had kept to himself and avoided talking to other students. As far as Evander knew, the loner had no friends and wasn't in any rush to make any. He wanted to ask if there was anyone else, but he had the odd feeling that there wasn't. It was either tell Nova he was failing or have the loner kid tutor him about mythology. He then considered taking Mrs. Symanski's offer of visiting her twice a week but then decided against it.

He then softly mumbled to her that he chose Midnight to tutor him. Mrs. Symanski nodded, writing something. "Alright, I'll speak with Midnight and contact you as soon as possible with an update."

She wrote him a pass and dismissed him without another word. Evan wanted to break something. He didn't want to be tutored by that freak who stared off into the distance. It was as if he were living in a different world. The loner was probably doing drugs or something. It would not be ample for his reputation if they were seen together. Nova would have endless questions and accusations. His friends would think that he was trying to replace them or even worse. At first, Evan worried about Midnight telling people that he was tutoring him, but then it disappeared as soon as it had come. Midnight didn't talk to anyone, so there wasn't anyone he could tell. There was also the playing factor that no one would believe him. It wasn't that Midnight had done anything in particular for him to receive such an inauspicious reputation. There were other goths or loners in Veniko High, but there was something about Midnight that seemed... _odd_.

Thankfully his conversation with Mrs. Symanski hadn't been too long since there were still students scurrying to class even after the final warning bell had rung. Going into the boy's locker room, the smell of sweat and body spray hit his nose pugnaciously. Scrunching up his nose somewhat, he went to his locker and stuffed his bag in it when his childhood best friend, Kane Grosvenor, walked up to him and slapped him brutally on the back. Evan barely staggered forward, being a tall and muscled young man. "Guess what?"

Kane was roughly six feet tall and well bodily toned, even more so than Evan. However, Evan was taller. He had freckled ivory skin and jewel green eyes with dark ginger hair. His features were defined and strong. It was safe to say that Kane was a ladies' man. Evan vaguely remembered them fighting over a girl in the seventh grade but ending the rivalry when the girl turned out to be dating an older jock. At first, their relationship had been distant and rocky, but eventually, the two reconnected at the end of eighth grade when a bear attacked Kane. It had been during a spring break vacation, Kane's family had gone camping deep into the Veniko forest. He had gone out by the river to catch some fish when he ran into a bear that took an aggressive swipe at him. Thankfully Kane's father wasn't too far away and could take down the bear before it did any more damage. Later on, with further investigation, it turns out that a mother bear was protecting her cubs that were up in a nearby tree.

"What?"

"I have a date for your party tomorrow." Kane grinned, smugly making Evan raise a brow at him in amusement. Kane was known to be a player, never staying with one girl for too long; according to him, he would get bored of them. "You remember Sophie, right?"

"Yeah, she's on the cheerleading team with Nova. Do you know what that means? That Nova is going to get on your case when you fuck her, then dump her." Evan chuckled as he slipped his shirt over his head, replacing it with his gym shirt. Kane frowned as if he hadn't thought about that making Evan laugh even harder. "Idiot."

"I don't know how you do it, man. I know you like Nova, and she's cool and everything, but let's get serious for a second. Do you honestly plan on marrying her after we graduate? She's bossy and nosy; you won't be able to take a shit without reporting to her about it first." Kane scoffed, running a hand through his loose curly hair. Evan didn't respond to that comment because he didn't have a direct answer. Nova had been his girlfriend for three years, and he couldn't picture himself being with anyone else. "She's kind of toxic if you ask me; every time we hang out, she's calling you every ten minutes to 'check-up' on you. You're going to stand there and tell me that it doesn't bother you?"

"How did the conversation turn from you telling me about Sophie to my love life with Nova?" Evan demanded as they walked out of the locker room and into the gym. It was too cold to go outside. They would be spending gym class inside for the rest of the year.

"It's called a conversational shift." Kane snickered, whacking him in the back of the head playful as they jogged up to the rest of their friend group, who were already tossing a football back and forth. Sawyer O'Connell, one of Evan's linebackers, threw a ball at him, which he effortlessly caught. They all quickly greeted each other before going back to throwing the back and forth between each other. "So why were you late?"

"I had to talk with Symanski about some dumb test I failed," Evan explained quietly as he reared back and tossed the ball back to Sawyer. Kane raised a brow at him questioningly. It was unlike Evan to fail a test, maybe do poorly on it but never fail. "Don't look at me like that, and don't tell anyone about it. I talked to her about how I would be handling my grade so she won't have to talk to Upshaw."

"Damn, I didn't know it was that bad. Mythology right? Why don't you just ask Nova to help you? Actually no. Now that I think about it, that's an awful idea. Please tell me you haven't told her you're failing because that would basically be a disaster. She would make your life a living hell and would never let it go." Kane scoffed in disgust, rolling his eyes making Evan glare at him. The ginger held his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying, dude. Nova isn't exactly someone you can talk to when you're in a predicament."

"And you don't think I know that? Look, I know Nova has many flaws, but she's still my girl. She's been with me through the thick and thin. You only see one side of her, but I know there's more to her than what everyone assumes." Evan stated calmly as he caught the fast incoming ball aiming at his torso.

"And as your best friend, I'm just saying that just because you two have been together for a long time doesn't mean you two are in a healthy relationship." Kane snatched the ball from Evan's hands before throwing it carelessly to the other side of the gym. A bit wobbly but not an entirely lousy throw either.

"Look, I know you mean well, but I'm a big boy." Evan joked, lightly punching his arm. "I can make my own decisions."

"Yeah, incredibly stupid ones." Kane rolled his eyes, shoving his friend's face away.

"I love you too." Evan teased as he caught the ball and threw it at Kane, who caught it with one hand.

"So what are you going to do to get your grade up? Don't tell me you're going to have to go in during her office hours. Everyone is going to assume you're screwing her since you don't want anyone to know you're failing a class." Kane raised a brow questioningly.

"Nah, we arranged something," Evan stated vaguely, not wanting to admit that he would be tutored by the new kid. Kane always tensed up and acted weird whenever the topic of Midnight or his aunt came up. It was a bit suspicious, but Evan never thought anything of it.

"Not going to tell me?"

"I have to keep some mystery to what I do." Evan teased, shoving him playfully. "Or else you'll get bored of me."

"I don't know if I've you this yet today, but you're a fucking idiot." Kane derided, shaking his head. Evan laughed, and the conversation shifted towards lighter topics that temporarily took his mind off the reality of his situation. The fact that his entire career was hanging on the thread because of a stupid class infuriated him, but he knew that complaining about it would get him nowhere. After gym class, they headed back to the locker room to change into their regular clothes to go to their next class.

His next few classes went by smoothly considering he was actually doing well in them. He saw Kane and some of his teammates through the following few periods until lunchtime came. He was dreaded seeing Nova; she certainly had a list of endless questions she would throw at his face once she caught sight of him. Nova was his girl, but at times it seemed as if she were plotting against him. Evan saw a flash of mustard-colored pants and knew that he was done for. Nova strutted up to him in her black ankle heeled boots with a purpose that undoubtedly would end, giving him a headache. She wore a tight black crop top that showed off her diamond belly button piercing. Over it, she wore one of his black leather jackets. Nova looked terrific in her outfit; no matter what the day, she was dressed to impress.

"Hey, baby." She grinned widely, holding her hands out, indicating she wanted a hug. Leaning down, he picked her up, placing his hands under her thighs, lifting her off the ground. He pressed his lips against her passionately, being mindful not to be too aggressive since she was wearing lipstick.

"Hey, gorgeous." He whispered, giving her ass a light squeeze before putting her back down on her feet. Licking his lips, he tasted the strawberry lip gloss she had on top of her lipstick. She hummed, clearly pleased with the interaction, before taking his hand and leading him to their table where some of her cheerleading friends were there conversing. Among them was Sophie. She was a bit taller than Nova, with long dark wavy brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was on the skinnier side, but she was cute. He could see why Kane was interested in her.

"So, what did you talk with Mrs. Symanski about?" Nova asked as they took a seat. The girls gave a chorus of greetings before going back to their chatter. Evan had to hold back his laughter; he was wondering when she would finally ask him.

"Extra credit work, nothing to worry about." He stated vaguely, knowing that it wasn't a sufficient answer in her eyes but not suspicious enough for her to propel him with more questions. She let out a light, disbelieving scoff but didn't press the matter further, although she wanted to. Not too long after, Kane and Evan's other friends arrived, taking up the empty space on the table. Kane sat next to Sophie, putting his arm around her shoulders, making her blush shyly. Nova raised her brows incredulously at the sight before turning to glare at her boyfriend accusingly.

He held his hands up defensively. "Don't look at me. I just found out today about this. Take it up with him, not me."

"Kane is your friend, isn't he?" She scoffed, giving Kane an intense glower, which he pointedly ignored. Evan sighed through his nose; Nova and Kane never really got along. They usually butted heads making her strongly dislike him and Kane thinking that Nova was a 'total bitch'.

"He's my friend, but he has a mind of his own. I can tell him to let her down easily, but there's not much I can do on my part." He stated absently playing with a strand of Nova's hair.

"How unfortunate."

He hummed, letting his eyes wander around the cafeteria. Veniko High wasn't a populated school since Veniko was more forest than a town. Winter was longer than the rare cherished summer weeks; dark storm clouds were permanent residents in the sky hiding the sun from the townsfolk. According to the weather report, no rain was expected on the night of his party, but the temperature would be considerately low. Suddenly his sea-green eyes met indifferent gray ones. A chill down his spine when he realized who they had belonged to.

Midnight Alexavier had just walked into the lunchroom. An eerie silence took over the room as every single pair of eyes landed on the gothic loner. As usual, Midnight paid no mind to them, walking to a nearby empty table. His porcelain skin stood out against his black band shirt with a silver spiked black leather jacket over it and some dark ripped jeans. He wore heavy steel-toed combat boots that were probably against the school's policy. Then again, Nova was wearing a shirt that violated the dress code. He had a double-sided silver chain nose piercing. Around his intense cold eyes was a small smudged ring of black eyeliner that made his eyes stand out even more. 

"Oh, look, the freak has arrived." Nova scoffed in disgust, making her friends mumble in agreement, scrunching up their noses in Midnight's direction.

Kane stiffened, setting his jaw in what seemed irritation at the sight of the loner. Evan glanced at his best friend with a frown; Midnight wasn't his favorite person in the world, but it seemed as if Kane had something personal against him. Looking back at Midnight, Evan saw him staring at Kane dead in the eye. Then his cold gray eyes snapped back to Evan's, and he held his gaze unwaveringly. The chill returned, giving him goosebumps all over his body. After a few seconds, he dropped his gaze down to his phone, which he had pulled out of his pocket. Evan released a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding in.

"What the hell is his problem?" Sophie asked defensively, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I don't know, but if he had looked at me for a second longer, I was going to break his damn face in." Kane snapped angrily, slamming his fist down on the table, making the girls squeal in shock.

"Yo." Evan raised a brow at his friend, finding his attitude a bit over the top. "You got any personal beef with him that I should know about?"

"No." It was a lie, but Evan didn't press the matter, knowing this wasn't the place nor the time to push for more information.

"Great, then calm down. He's just a weirdo, so don't pay him any mind."

"He's kind of scary," Sophie whispered, leaning closer to Kane.

"Well, considering his aunt is a damn freak just like him, I think it's safe to say it's hereditary. They carry this weird feeling around with them; I don't like it." Nova stated sticking her nose in the air, looking at Midnight with utter distaste.

"No one fucking likes it, but there's nothing we can do about it," Sawyer interjected.

"Can we change the subject, please?" Evan exasperated in annoyance. Talking about the loner only rubbed salt on his open wound. Had his teacher spoken with Midnight? If so, that would mean that they would have to interact with each other. They all agreed, and chaos broke out as they started talking about random topics. Minor scandals that had occurred during class but mainly Evan's birthday party.

However, Evan paid no mind to any of it. His eyes wandered back to Midnight, who appeared to be munching on an apple. His gaze was distant, which meant he was lost in thought. Then gray eyes were looking right through him and into his soul. Midnight raised a dark brow at him questioningly. Evan jerked his head towards the exit doors discreetly before getting up slowly, whispering to his friends that he was going to the bathroom. Nova waved him off as she and Kane broke out into a petty argument about something that Evan didn't care nor hear about. The lunchroom was now wholly crowded and overpowered by the loud conversations being had at tables with friends discussing whatever was on their minds. No one would notice if Evan slipped outside and into the hallway. The hallway was quiet and empty. Pacing back and forth for what seemed like forever, he heard the door open. His head snapped towards Midnight, who calmly walked up to Evan, keeping a minimum of three feet of distance between them.

"Did Mrs. Symanski speak with you?" Evan asked, running a hand stressfully through his ear length wavy light blonde hair. Midnight nodded silently, observing Evan's distressful state very closely. "Well?"

"If you're trying to ask me if I'm willing to tutor you, I'm not, I don't really give a fuck about you or if you fail, but Symanski gave me a hard time about it. Basically, blackmailed me into tutoring you, so the answer you're looking for is yes. I'm going to tutor you." Evan had never heard Midnight speak before, and he could honestly say that the goth did not disappoint. His voice was even deeper and demonic than what Evan would have imagined. Not that he sat there, imagining what Midnight's voice sounded like in his mind.

"Alright, when and where?" Evan asked uncomfortably, wanting the conversation to end already so he could get away from the freakshow in front of him. He avoided looking directly at the goth as much as possible, but for some odd reason, he couldn't tear his eyes off the figure standing not too far from him. Midnight was around Kane's height, but with just a bit more muscle. Upon further inspection, he realized that Midnight was entirely covered in scars, which made his frown deepen.

"Whenever you want, I don't care." Midnight shrugged.

"After school in the library, I'll ask Symanski to write us a pass. I have no practice on Wednesdays and Fridays, so we can do those days." Evan gave Midnight a skeptical look as if he were waiting for him to disagree or change his mind about the tutoring. Instead, Midnight nodded in agreement. "Oh, and just for the record, if you tell anyone about this situation, I'll break your fucking face in."

Midnight let out an involuntary laugh at the threat shaking his head. "Oh, I bet you will, schlepper."

"Excuse me, what the fuck did you just call me?"

"Schlepper. So you're not only stupid, but you're deaf as well?" Midnight rolled his eyes, walking past Evan making sure to keep a significant amount of distance between them. "I'll see you tomorrow after school."

Before Evan could say another word, Midnight strutted off without even looking back once. Sighing frustratingly through his nose, Evan couldn't help himself but punch one of the nearby lockers. His knuckles instantly turned red and were pounding with pain, but he didn't care. He didn't want to be near that fucking freak, and now he had to meet with him twice a week in order for his coach not to bench him. Not only that, he had to keep the fact that he was failing from his girlfriend and the fact that it was Midnight tutoring him from Kane. For some inexplicable reason, his friend seemed to have a vendetta against the loner freak. He leaned against the lockers closing his eyes.

When did his life get so complicated?


	5. Two

Evander turned to glare at his alarm clock. It's dull, obnoxiously repetitive noise echoed off the walls forming a headache at the front of his head. Snatching it harshly off his nightstand, he reared back and threw it an impressive distance across his room. It collided with a wall-breaking apart noisily, making him groan in complaint. His nanny, Miss Sanchez, was a sweet but strict middle-aged Mexican woman with the kindest smile Evan had ever seen. A small thing barely over five feet tall with deeply tanned skin. There was just something warm and comforting about being around her. She was a joy to be around up until the moment where she started actually to do her job, like waking him up for school.

"Evander William Rue! You better be up and getting dressed, young man!" He heard her deep accented voice shout from down the hall, making him wince.

"I'm up!" Evan called back, grumbling under his breath, getting up from his bed with a stiff wince when his back cracked involuntarily. He wasn't a morning person, never was. His mood would eventually improve throughout the day. Hopefully. Walking towards his bathroom, he decided to take a quick shower and stake his caretaker's wrath by risking a quick shower. He faintly heard Miss Sanchez yelling at him about the time, but he ignored her as he scrubbed and cleaned himself humming quietly. Evan wasn't in there for long; he washed and got out. The jock couldn't have been in there for any more than ten minutes. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he glanced into his large mirror.

Evander was a star football player, so naturally, he was tall and muscular, standing an inch or two above six feet with impressive muscles for a seventeen-year-old. Quickly drying himself, he walked back into his room and pulled out some boxers. It was cold in Veniko. Snow would be falling soon since they were high up north. It invariably snowed early up here, and summer always came late and never stayed for long.

He slipped on some dark jeans with a dark forest green shirt throwing his football jersey on. He laced up his favorite pair of boots and finished getting ready before going back into the bathroom. Brushing his teeth, he looked at his drying hair. His ear length wavy light blonde hair was in a messy wet mop on top of his head. Evan stared at it for a while, debating if he even wanted to be bothered with it but then remembered the reputation he had to maintain, so he grabbed his comb, grumbling under his breath, and brushed out the knots. Once he was satisfied with how he looked, he turned the lights off and grabbed his bag and his keys.

"Miss Sanchez, I'm leaving now!" He called out as he raced down the steps. When he got to the door, he saw her standing there with her thick graying hair braided over her shoulder. She held a small chocolate cupcake with a little lit candle on it, which she undoubtedly made for him. At that moment, he remembered something significant he couldn't believe he had forgotten. It was Friday; it was his birthday.

" _¡Feliz cumpleaños_ , Evander!" She held out the cupcake for him to take, and he just stared at it for a solid second before pulling her into a tight hug taking in her sweet perfume. Neither of his parents were in town; his mother was most likely not even in the country, and while he loved them both, Miss Sanchez was the one who was always there for him. She was there when he took his first steps and said his first words. Unfortunately, as he got older, so did she. He remembered her having only a few strands of gray when she started taking care of him; now, there were very few strands of black on her head. This was also her last month here before she would go work somewhere else, a hotel possibly to clean rooms and place ridiculously tiny shampoo and conditioner bottles on bathroom counters. Evander was an adult now, and there was no longer a reason for her to continue to work for the Rue family.

"I don't want to be eighteen." He whispered, hearing her sniff softly. She went to all of his games, and whenever he needed advice on something, she always had something knowledgeable to say to him. Ximena Sanchez was his mother, and no one could tell him otherwise. "I don't want you to leave. I refuse to let you leave."

"Oh, my sweet little boy, you're a man now. I can't keep taking care of you." She rubbed his back comfortingly, but it only did so much. It didn't change the reality of the situation. "We both knew this day would come. Besides, today is not my official last day here. How about Sunday afternoon I make us both dinner and have our own small birthday party for you?"

He nodded mutely, still refusing to let her go, not caring if he was going to be late. School could go screw itself.

They stood there for a few more seconds before she reluctantly pulled away, careful with the small flame she carried on her palm. Evan quickly blew out the candle glaring at it as if it were its fault for why his nanny had to leave her job. He would definitely be drowning his sorrows tonight by making it his personal goal to reach the end of every cup or bottle placed in front of him.

"Alright, _mijo_." She offered him the cupcake again, which he took with a smile leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Have a nice day, and remember you have the study session after school today!"

He groaned internally at the thought of his first study session with Midnight today, and here he thought his day couldn't get any worse. Evan contemplated canceling, but he had the odd feeling that if he tried to cancel, Midnight would get pissy and refuse to tutor him altogether. It wasn't a good look to renege on the first day; it would say a lot about him. Glancing at the clock on the wall, his eyes widened as he said a quick goodbye to Miss Sanchez before rushing outside, scarfing his birthday treat down to just the wrapping paper. He almost inhaled that as well but caught himself at the last second.

The sky was gray, and small snowflakes were falling from the sky, but it looked as if it would stop soon. Thankfully Evander ran hot, so the icy wind blowing wordless whispers to his ears and nose didn't bother him as much as a small adrenaline rush went through him as he walked down his steps to get to his car. Opening his car door, he threw his bag on the passenger side before turning the car on, turning the heat up. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't sit there and wait for it to warm up and had to grit his teeth through it as he pulled out of his driveway, making a sloppy turn as the guards opened the black iron gates for him to head to the main road. He waved at the main guard on duty, who waved back at him as he drove by. It was a fifteen-minute ride to his school, and he was almost thirty minutes to being late, so he would hopefully arrive before the first bell rang, and if he didn't, his teacher wouldn't make a big deal out of him being a few minutes late.

His phone started ringing and vibrating with various notifications of his friends and family wishing him a happy birthday. At a red light, he grabbed the device and replied to a few people, his parents, girlfriend, and teammates. The rest he would check later when he wasn't driving on a snowy road.

Arriving at the school's parking lot, he managed to make it in time with a few minutes to spare. As he got out, he noticed a sleek black muscle car pulling up a few spots where he had parked his car. He couldn't tell what year and make of the vehicle, but he had seen it a couple of times around the parking lot and always assumed it belonged to one of the teachers or security guards. When the driver climbed out of the car, Evan suddenly started to feel the bitter bite of the cold, but it wasn't the snow nor the harsh wind that was causing it. Cold gray eyes stared right through him with inhumane callousness.

 _Of course, the car I've been crushing on for ages belongs to him_ , Evan thought scornfully as Midnight looked away without much care for Evan's unblinking stare of disbelief.

Snapping himself off the daze he was in; he cursed under his breath as he rushed inside to get out of the cold but mindful to let the goth in front of him go first through the doors. Both of them walking in through the doors of Veniko High would be somewhat disreputable, and Nova and Kane would be on his ass asking questions about it. Nova would be curious to know if they were acquainted behind her back, and Kane would wonder the same thing, except he would ask with resentment and anger. No, it was best that they weren't seen together for the sake of his mental health.

After a solid minute, he walked in power, walking towards his class, trying to warm up his body with rapid movements, but he could still feel the aloof leer on his skin, making him involuntarily shiver.

People congratulated him on his birthday as they passed by him, to which he subconsciously replied with thanks. It got to the point where he let his mind work on autopilot, and whenever the word 'happy' formed on someone's lips, the 'thank you' was already on his. His mind was numb by the time he got to his class and sat down on his seat. His first-period class was biology, but for today the teacher was playing a video and giving them a worksheet for the students to fill out.

"Happy birthday, bro!" He received a much anticipated harsh blow to his back. However, it did snap him back into modern reality as he turned to glare at Kane, who took a seat next to him. Kane gave him a knowing crooked grin as he waggled his brows. "My boy is now a man! Next thing you know, your balls will finally drop."

"Thank you but also go fuck yourself, asshole. My balls dropped long before even yours did." Evan shoved his friend's shoulder, making Kane chuckle loudly. "It's fucking cold today."

"Yeah, but it won't snow much, and by around the time the party starts, it'll stop altogether." Kane pointed out, leaning back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head. "Tonight's going to be fucking insane."

"Are you sayin' that because there's going to be alcohol there or because it's a full moon tonight?" Evan asked jokingly and frowned when Kane's face momentarily lost its humor. "Something wrong, man?"

"Yeah," Kane looked at Evan right in the eyes with the most bitter and somber look he could muster up. "Nova's going to be on your ass about the drinking and smoking, and she'll then make a scene about how your first act as an adult shouldn't be to get piss drunk and act like a know-nothing delinquent."

"I'm going to punch you in the face."

"You're obviously upset because I'm right, and you're dating a grandma who dresses like-"

"I'm going to give you three seconds to shut up about my girlfriend, or you'll be picking yourself off the floor, Grosvenor." Evan curled his upper lip in a nasty sneer giving his friend a warning look. "I put up with your shit every day, but you better cool it. It's my birthday, and I honestly don't want to fight with you because you can't keep your disrespectful opinions to yourself about my girl."

"Fine." Kane rolled his green eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Crouchy."

Shortly the bell rang, and the class started. He didn't pay much attention as he got lost in his thoughts. For some odd reason, he couldn't get what Kane had said out of his head. Mainly because everything the asshole had said was true. Nova would get temperamental, to say the least, the minute he had a few beers even though it was his birthday and he just wanted to enjoy himself. She'd cause a scene, and everyone would stare. When Evan confronted her about it in private, she would somehow always manage to blame him. He could understand Kane's point of view when it came to Nova, but she wasn't like that all the time. She had faults that he learned to live with instead of being idealistic like the rest of his friends who wanted the 'perfect' girl. Unlike them, his standards were realistic when it came to romance.

"Party's going to be crazy tonight with everyone from school being there. I wouldn't be surprised if I even see some of the teachers there." Kane joked quietly, making Evan snort at the thought of seeing his math teacher chugging down an entire bottle of vodka.

"That would be something."

"Look, man, what I said before-"

"No, I get it. Nova can be overbearing and overprotective, but other than her being a premature grandma, what other faults does she have that can't be overlooked? You and the rest of the guys are always pointing out all the flaws girls have but never look at your own. For example, you have commitment issues, but instead of just saying that you go from girl to girl, then you expect them to take you seriously. You also have some severe anger issues and don't think before you talk most of the time. Then you say sorry like it fixes everything, but it doesn't. Sorry doesn't fix shit, and you need to gain some self-control, or else that recklessness you live off by will push everyone around you away." Evan took a deep breath, not realizing he had been holding all of that in. He glanced at Kane, who wore a blank look on his face as he stared at Evan like he had grown a second head. "What?"

"You've been holding that in for a while, haven't you?"

"More or less."

"Huh. I mean, you're not entirely wrong, but you could have delivered that call out a bit softer." Kane grumbled like a reprimanded toddler, crossing his arms over his chest as he faced the front of the class.

"Would you have taken it as seriously if I hadn't been so direct?"

"Touché." The redhead sighed in defeat, slumping down in his seat with a pout on his face. A stretched silence filled the space between them awkwardly with the faint sound of the video playing in the background. It was a good while before Kane spoke up again, "Are we going to my place or yours after school?"

Evan stiffened, making Kane frown at him as his friend shifted in his seat uncomfortably, trying not to appear suspicious but failing miserably. "Um, actually, I have something to do after school for roughly about an hour, but then I'll meet you at my place."

"What do you have to do?" Kane raised a brow at him questioningly.

 _Oh, nothing much; I just have a study date with the biggest fucking weirdo in town because apparently, I'm too incompetent to memorize fictional stories about beasts that don't exist_ , Evan thought sarcastically but instead quickly thought of something else to say.

"Stuff. Mind your business; I don't keep track of your every movement, now do I? I am allowed to have a secret life outside of this relationship. I already have one overbearing grandma on my ass. I don't need another as well for a matching set." Evan sighed deeply through his nose as he saw Kane laugh at his exasperated comment. The blonde pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing the ground would split open at that very moment, the overwhelming flames of inferno would kiss his skin, blistering it as a welcome to his condemned fate to the dark realm of the sinful. Hopefully, he would go into purgatory instead of Hell. At least in purgatory, he had a chance at Heaven.

"Wow, you are on one today. It must be the fact that you're an adult now, but you're still young and in your teens. Older adults won't take you seriously until you have your own house, paying your bills, and know the true struggle of life." Kane ran a hand through his dark ginger hair, slightly scratching at his scalp.

"Humans and their weird standards of society." Evan joked, thankful to be off the topic of his after school activities. "The closer you are to death, the more respected you are. Just because they've lived longer than we have, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're smarter or wiser. It just means they've avoided death."

"Maybe it's for that exact reason that we're supposed to respect them," Kane said in a soft tone staring off into the distance as if his mind were wandering someplace else. "The wisdom of avoiding death."

"Only immortals can avoid death, and as far as I'm concerned, they aren't real." Evan glanced at the clock; they only had a few minutes left in class. Kane didn't reply to the comment and sat in silence for the rest of the period, which Evan didn't mind.

The bell rang, making everyone rise to their feet and head towards the door. Evan was amongst the crowd; many congratulated him, which he mindlessly thanked them. It was like a reflex that he had to turn on once a year. His next few classes were quiet except for the constant congratulations and well-wishes. Some even carried out awkward small talk about the party, which he expertly cut off by saying he had to do something like finish an assignment or get to class. His teammates would pound his back harshly till he was confident that he would have bruises tomorrow and possibly even a fractured rib from an accidentally low birthday punch one of the linebackers gave him.

Then came the class he dreaded the most for two reasons. One, he was failing it miserably, forcing him to get tutored by the school's ultimate freak, and two, not only was said tutor in this class but also his girlfriend, Nova, who did not know of his academic issue or the goth tutor. For a split second, he considered skipping, but his attendance was also part of his grade. Forcing his feet to move towards the classroom, he was instantly bombarded with nauseating birthday congratulations. A fake smile spread across his lips as his mouth moved without him having to do so. The reflex came in handy, especially considering that he was popular, wealthy, and handsome, so many wanted to make themselves known to him.

Then like a force of nature, Nova made her way through the crowd with her head held high, snapping him out of his numbing daze. Her thick long wavy black and honey-colored hair was curled and styled to fit loosely around her golden diamond tiara headband. She wore an over the shoulder emerald shirt with a black button front corduroy skirt that stopped a few inches above her knee. She had stockings underneath and fur mid-calf black snow boots that were unsurprisingly fashionable.

"Happy birthday, my love." She greeted him with a wide smile. Her lips were glossy, and much to his relief, she wasn't wearing her artificial rose perfume and opted for one he had bought for her in hopes that she would stop wearing that God awful scent. Leaning down, he wrapped his arms around her curvy waist, giving her a passionate kiss loving the way her warmth and his melted together. Much more harmonious than those fucking roses.

"Thank you, love." He kissed her cheek and forehead softly before they both took their seats in the middle of the classroom. Evander was too tall to sit in the front without blocking the view for the other students behind him.

"So, how has your day been so far?" She asked as more students piled into the classroom, one of them being Midnight Alexavier.

While students walked up to him and congratulated him on his birthday, the goth just walked straight towards the back to his usual dark corner. He didn't even glance Evan's way and instead was presumably texting someone on his phone. Today he was wearing an oversized black leather jacket with blackish brownish fur inside, over his usual plain dark shirt.

"It's been alright. Miss Sanchez gave me a cupcake this morning." He said softly, looking down at his hands at the memory. He was still bitter about it, but he just reminded himself that she would be there when he went home today. She would most likely be in the kitchen, speaking with the cooks about dinner. Nova awed, placing her hands over his, intertwining their fingers together. Lifting their joint hands, he placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. The bell rang loudly, signaling that all students should be seated in their chairs since class was ready to begin.

"Good morning, class!" Mrs. Symanski stood from her chair to close the door before turning her attention back to the class. Her dark eyes were bright with excitement as she made her way towards the front of the class. "First off, I want to say happy birthday, Mr. Rue! Secondly, I want to announce that I've decided to introduce our unit today in honor of the full moon tonight. An essay will also be written on this subject since this town's history is also somehow involved with today's myth."

Evan raised a brow curiously. Veniko was a frigid and old town with the majority of the population being trees that were over two hundred feet tall with thick trunks that took at least two or more feller bunchers to take down. He couldn't think of any significant mythical stories or creatures tied to Veniko other than a few silly ghost stories his uncles told him when they went camping. Even then, it wasn't anything supernatural but rather just psychos who had a thing for killing teenagers in the forest.

"Today, we're going to learn about werewolves!"

Immediately the class erupted into excited chatter, and even some of Evan's teammates howled jokingly and growled, causing the girls around them to giggle. He laughed while Nova just rolled her eyes, grumbling under her breath about how they were idiots.

Glancing behind him, he found the one person who was the least excited about the new subject. Midnight was glaring at the desk, his hands gripping the metal structure, keeping it together in a death grip. His nostrils were flaring, and his teeth were bared into an unpleasant snarl. Evan couldn't see most of his expression due to the heavy black curtain of his hair covering his face. His shoulders were tense; he looked ready to break the desk and kill someone. Then like witchcraft, his hostile demeanor dissolved back into his usual cold, unapproachable mask of insouciance. His hands let go of the bars underneath the desk and placed them on the desk's flat surface. The only trace of the momentary break of his façade was the sorrowful look of menace in his eyes.

Evan frowned, his brow furrowing deeply as he turned his body back towards the front of the class. All he could think was, _what the fuck was that?_

"Alright, alright! Calm it down." Mrs. Symanski quieted the class down once again before leaning back on her desk. "So, can anyone here tell me Veniko's connection with werewolves?"

At first, no one raised their hands, making Mrs. Symanski's face fall with disappointment until a small spark of it shined in her eyes as she pointed a finger towards the back of the class. "Yes, Mr. Alexavier?"

"Supposedly, Veniko was filled with lycanthropes due to the cold climate, which also made it a popular place for hunters to live to hunt them down to kill them. Again allegedly, the first werewolf to move to Veniko was a man named Beowolf Lowell, who migrated to America to avoid hunters." Midnight stated coolly in a monotone voice; if Evan didn't know any better, he would have thought a demonic computer were talking. "When others like him began to fear for their lives because the numbers of hunters in Europe were too great, they followed his example and migrated to other countries. The majority came over to the states, blending in as working immigrants; a few went to Russia and Canada."

"Yes! Very good, Mr. Alexavier!" She praised with a kind smile. "Do you know how many migrated to the south?"

"Close to none, werewolves have high body temperatures and have thick fur coats, which is why they avoided the African continent, the Middle East, Latin America, and such. A few did, but not many." Midnight explained.

Evan blinked in surprise, glancing back to look at him in bewilderment, along with a few other students.

Midnight had his legs crossed casually under his desk while facing the front of the class with a blank look on his face. Usually, he looked as if he were bored or mildly inconvenienced with the world, but now his mask of introversion was as clear as glass. For a split second, their eyes met, and Evan shivered internally at his cold, hard gaze. Something in him told him that the goth did or was capable of killing someone. There was just something broken and shattered by the world that made him think so.

Nova raised her hand unexpectedly. "Mrs. Symanski, is it true that only males can be werewolves?"

"Oh, on the contrary, there were actually many female werewolves. They were even known for seducing and killing hunters. It was for that exact same reason why they considered them so dangerous. The she-wolves used their sex appeal against them." Mrs. Symanski grabbed some packets off her desk, they weren't too thick, but for Evan, it was a splitting headache with inked words printed on it. She began passing them out while talking nonsense that Evan didn't care about. Instead, his mind drifted to more relevant things occurring today, like his birthday party. He was anxious to get a bottle of whiskey in his hands so he could tip it back and chug it all down.

He should have been paying attention, but he couldn't bring himself to listen. Instead, he just stared at the front of the class and pretended to hear what his teacher was saying. By how fast and excited she seemed, it was probably something ridiculous, like how the logic of how werewolves transformed at the light of the moon when in fact, the moon did not glow; it was just the reflection of the sun. Nova seemed invested. She barely paid any mind to him or his lack of interest in the topic; alternately, she was flipping through the packet, writing notes down, and doing the things Evan should have been doing. It almost made him feel like a bad student. Almost. At one point, he even dozed off, but the sound of the bell ringing brought him back to reality.

The rest of his day seemed to be like that. Consisting of him being bored out of his mind in class and then dozing off. The only real-time he had to pay attention to what he was doing was when he was in gym class with his friend throwing footballs back and forth. His conversations with Kane were less passive-aggressive and more casual. They didn't mention the topics of before, preferably opted for sharing comical memories of the past and how fun the party would be.

It wasn't until the final bell rang that he was ultimately brought back to reality. When he was walking back into Mrs. Symanski's class, standing in front of her as she wrote him a pass to the library for him to be tutored by Midnight. He had been so lost in his mind that he had provisionally forgotten about his study session. It made him angry. Setting his jaw tightly, he stomped downstairs towards the basement where the library was to find Midnight leaning against the wall texting someone on his phone. He felt like a child having an outburst, but he knew lamenting would get him nowhere.

Midnight glanced at him putting his phone away. "Just an hour, right?"

"Yup."

"Let's get this shit over with then." He grumbled, throwing open the heavy door to the entrance of the library. The school had an extensive and proud library with a lot of books. Once entering, they were greeted by the librarian, a man in his sixties who went by the name of Mr. Corton. He had deep rich caramel skin with stern brown eyes and graying black hair. He gave Midnight a judgmental look, but before he could say anything, Evan handed him the pass that allowed them to stay after hours. The library was moderately empty. A few teachers worked on their computers at empty tables and a couple of fellow students on the school computers doing work as well, but for the most part, it was empty, and nobody paid them any mind as they headed towards the very back of the library. Finding a three-person table behind some bookshelves in a secluded corner was Evan's saving grace. He did _not_ want to be seen with the goth. It would most certainly tarnish his reputation he worked hard to maintain. Well, mildly. The fewer people who saw them together, the better.

They sat on opposite ends as far as they could away from each other, barely making any eye contact.

"So we can start doing the first portion of the assignment now, and it'll be less work for us to do later." Midnight spoke up, forcing them to look at each other. Up closer, Evan was mortified to say, Midnight had even more scars than he had initially thought. They were old, a few were fading, but the majority were resounding and were probably going to stay there on his gray-toned skin for the rest of his life. They were harsh and seemed to follow a relatively feral pattern, which perhaps meant he was attacked by a bear or another large animal.

Whatever the cause, they were gruesome. On his neck, he didn't have many on his throat, but there were four harsh hypertrophic scars at the start of his temple traveling down below the corner of his mouth, which were mostly covered by his thick black hair.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's rude to stare?" Midnight's tone wasn't harsh but rather placidly narked. Evan promptly gazed away, apologizing as he pulled the packet out of his bookbag.

"How do you know so much about werewolves?" Evan couldn't help but ask. It wasn't too intrusive since it did involve the topic at hand, and he could get some information out of the goth. He never reacted to anyone's allegation about him and his aunt, guiltily so, Evan was a tad inquisitive about him.

"Family used to live here a long time ago and heard the stories growing up." It was a stiff and secluded reply, but at least he didn't wholly brush the topic aside like Evan thought he would. Despite receiving the answer, Evan felt like that wasn't the entire truth, but he didn't prod; instead, he looked down at the paper and saw that basic questions were being asked about werewolves. A bit of what you know before you actually learn.

"Do you know anything about werewolves? I'm assuming not by the blank look on your face as you stare down at the paper."

"I don't particularly care for things like this."

"Then drop the class. It's not a requirement to graduate." It was a thought Evan had had various times, but he always found a reason why he couldn't.

"I could, but I promised my girlfriend I'd take the class with her. She'd make my life a living hell if I just randomly dropped it." He explained with a peeved sigh as he flipped through the stupid packet frustratingly.

Silence.

Looking up, he saw Midnight staring at him with raised eyebrows. It was a too familiar look he often saw Kane wearing whenever they talked about Nova. It was judgmentally silent, and he loathed it with his entire being. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. None of my business. I'm just here to teach you about werewolves. So, tell me curly, what do you know about them?"

"They shift during the full moon, they eat people and then turn back at sunrise. Only silver to the heart can kill them, and I believe wolfsbane as well." He listed off while also writing it down. He glimpsed up to see Midnight nodding in approval. Evan continued to write silently for a few minutes before turning the page.

"Happy birthday." Midnight spoke up as he stared at his chipped black nails. Evan stared at him for a moment, amazed that the goth even knew it was his birthday but considering it was something all the students talked about, he shouldn't have been. "Eighteen, right?"

"Thank you, and yes, I'm eighteen today," Evan replied, studying Midnight's blank face carefully. He took this as an opportunity to gain some more information about the loner. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen as well."

"Recently turned, or are you turning nineteen soon?"

"Turning." Midnight shifted in his seat, glancing at Evan's paper. "Okay, so Symanski wants us to study more on the werewolf legends tied to Veniko. Specifically, about the one I mentioned today, Beowolf Lowell, along with the origins of lycanthropy."

"The origins? Like how werewolves were created? How the fuck should I know?" Evan raised a brow in irritation, making Midnight glare at him.

"Why do you think I'm here for? Now pay attention cause I'm only going to go over this shit once." Midnight warned, and Evan cursed mentally as he forced himself to pay attention to the goth in front of him. "Many believe werewolves were created by a man being bitten by a wolf and then turned into a gigantic humanoid version of one. It's one of the most popular versions of the story. However, since we're doing legends of Veniko werewolves, we will go with that version. A witch cursed her lover into a werewolf so he would kill his family and loved ones as revenge for betraying her trust."

"What country do they originate from?"

"A bit of a controversial topic but as of right now, Greece. Possibly Mesopotamia or even Norway. However, almost every culture has its own version of a man or woman being turned into a wolf or beast of some sort." Midnight leaned back in his chair as Evan wrote things down while clinging on to every single word he said.

"Is that why most werewolves are European?"

"Yup, it's not a racial thing but a climate thing. Modern-day, there would be plenty of diverse wolves out there, but the majority would be European, yes. Werewolves prefer the cold because of their high body temperatures." For their remaining time, they spent having a casual conversation about lycanthropes, and throughout the entire time, Evan couldn't help but wonder what the real reason for Midnight to know all these things. He wasn't complaining. It was useful information that would aid him during class and with assignments, but it still made him wonder. Towards the end of their hour, he tried to pry more personal information out of him.

"Does your aunt know so much about werewolves as you?" Evan asked as he casually wrote things down. He peeped and saw Midnight seem unfazed by the question.

"In a way."

"Have you always lived with her?" Midnight blinked before narrowing his eyes down.

"No. Do you have any siblings?" Evan stopped writing with a perplexed look on his face.

"No. Do you?"

"Yes."

"Do you live with them?"

"No. Do you live with your parents?"

"Technically."

"Technically?"

"They're barely ever home."

"Ah. You were raised by a nanny." Midnight nodded to himself at the realization. It made Evan narrow his eyes down suspiciously, not liking the goth's tone.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Oh, nothing." Midnight smirked, making Evan glare at him.

"I don't fucking like you."

"I'm sorry, but I'm waiting for the part where I'm supposed to care and be devastated that the most popular guy in school doesn't like me." Midnight placed a hand over his heart, poking his bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. "You don't like me. What will I ever do?"

"Fuck off."

"I don't fuck blondes but nice try." Midnight snorted, pulling out his phone and glancing at the time as Evan's face turned completely red as he gripped his pen tightly, resisting the urge to break the goth's face in.

"I'm not fucking gay, and don't ever insinuate something fucking disgusting like that again!"

"Well, well, well. Stupid and homophobic. Just when I thought you were an asshole, you bumped it up to a worthless dickbag."

"I'm not homophobic!" Evan snapped as he packed his things, not caring if he was leaving earlier than he was supposed to. "I have no issue with gay people. I just don't like you specifically!"

They both stood up at the same time, but Midnight paid no attention to Evan as he walked off, leaving the jock standing there red-faced and ready to break something. He now understood why Kane despised him so much. Midnight was a fucking asshole who needed to get his teeth knocked in. He desperately needed a drink to get his mind off things. However, instead, he marched after Midnight, following him all the way towards his car, shoving him. "I wasn't fucking done talking to you!"

The wind blew Midnight's hair out of his face revealing the entirety of his facial scar, making Evan involuntarily flinch at the sight of it. It was worse than what he had incipiently thought. It was a light faded pink color, so it was old, but it looked incredibly painful. Midnight was surprisingly calm despite being shoved and yelled at. Instead of acting violently, he took a small step towards Evan, who took one involuntarily back.

"If you ever touch me again, I will rip you apart after cutting your balls off. Now, I could break your face in, but since it's your birthday, I'm going to be generous enough to be the bigger person and walk away—this time. Next time you'll be spending time in the emergency room with the doctors attempting to reassemble your disemboweled body back together." Midnight gave him a tight humorless smile that made a cold shiver that wasn't the wind crawl all over Evan's skin, giving him goosebumps. All of his anger was suddenly gone. "You've heard what they say about my family and me, correct? Fuck with me again, and you'll find out how those rumors started. Have a nice night, and I'd stay out of the forest tonight if I were you. There might be werewolves lurking around that might get to you before I do."

Without another word, he got into his car, driving away, leaving Evander standing there with wide eyes. 


	6. Three

Sex and alcohol were all that was currently on his mind as he drove up to his family's vacation home. It had formerly been a humble hotel lodge, but the owner sold it off to Evan's father when they started having financial issues. His father had done a bit of remodeling so that they could store their camping and fishing gear. He even let some of his close friends rent it out to him. Profitable business, in his opinion. Like Kane had said, it didn't snow much, but the further north he drove, the thicker the snow and the colder the temperature seemed to get. His original plan was to have the party at his house, but he didn't want to make Miss Sanchez and all the other workers at his place clean up after him.

Nova was sitting next to him, chatting on the phone with her girlfriends. Evan didn't pay her concentration much because of how uneven the road was due to the weather. It was bad enough for her not to pester him with any questions, such as what he had been doing after school.

The memory of Midnight's imminent smile and deadly gray eyes were still fresh in his memory. Now that he was away from the goth, his mind seemed to function more adequately. His main thought was how Midnight had gotten his scars. He had wanted to ask, but he that if he did, he would be sporting scars of his own, yet he couldn't help but notice how deep they were. Some were older than other scars, from what he could tell, which told him that he was attacked throughout a time. It could have presumably have been a sequence of child abuse, which would clarify why he would be living with his aunt now. Yet, for some odd reason, that conclusion didn't sit well with him. Maybe he was looking too deep into it, possibly he wasn't, but it didn't matter. All he knew was that their tutoring sessions would be awkward as hell from now on.

The sun was quickly setting, and the sky was turning a bruised purple with a tint of gray. Surprisingly the clouds were vanishing, but the wind seemed to only augment vigor; it would be a bitter night. Just as long as it didn't snow, they would be fine as long as they stayed inside. The trees on either side of them grew taller and thicker, the road got rockier, but everyone who lived in Veniko was equipped with snow tires. Through the corner of his eyes, he saw Nova shiver and turned the heater up, making her smile.

"We'll be there in ten minutes or so. Kane and some of the guys are already there." Evan said.

"Alright. It's fucking cold outside though, they've turned the heater on, right?"

"Yup, and they've got a fire started as well. The party doesn't start until a couple more hours, so we can start setting things up and then have some s'mores." He grinned widely, making her roll her eyes, but smiled.

"You and your s'mores."

"What can I say? Fluffy marshmallow and melted chocolate are heaven for me." He shrugged shamelessly, making her giggle sweetly.

The rest of the ride was in peaceful silence until they reached his family's lodge. It was made of strong stained wood and stone with balconies and large glass windows. White teardrop fairy lights were dangling from the entrance. The roof was covered in snow, and so were the terraces, but inside he could see his friends drinking hot chocolate in the main living room sitting on the dark brown leather couch that had multiple blankets and pillows that they would move upstairs when the guests would start to arrive.

Turning his engine off, he got out of the car, taking in a deep breath of cold air, watching the steam leave his mouth like smoke. He walked to the other side of the vehicle and helped Nova out. Then they made their way up the stone steps and inside, being greeted by the heater's warmth as a welcoming hug.

"Well, look who finally arrived!" Kane gave Evan a crooked grin, completely ignoring Nova, who also in return disregarded him as she stomped her feet at the carpet entrance to rid her shoes of as much snow as she could.

"I'll be in our room setting everything up, and then I'll be in the kitchen making sure these idiots didn't ruin the food." Getting on her tippy toes, she gave him a small kiss on the cheek before strutting off towards the staircase that led up to the second floor where they would be staying for the night.

Evan shook his head at her as he watched her carry her small duffle bag along with his up the stairs before walking over to where his friends were sitting. As a joke, he sat on top of Kane, who groaned in an exaggeration at the unexpected weight being put on him. It got a laugh out of them, especially when Kane pushed him into the empty spot next to him with a breathless grunt. "Fuck, you need to be put on a diet."

"I'm not fat, asshole. I'm muscular."

"Yeah, sure."

"Anyways," Sawyer spoke up, leaning forward. "We hid the booze in our rooms, so Nova won't find it and start bitching since now. We also took the liberty to pave away as much as we could so people could park their cars, and we even chopped up some wood. That's the goods news. The bad news is that most of it is outside because we didn't have room next to the fireplace to put it all inside."

"That's fine; by the time we'll have to go outside, we'll all be too drunk to feel the cold." Kane joked, making some of the guys snort. He then turned his gaze to Evan and gave him a stern look. "No bullshit this time Evan, did your parents call you yet?"

"Yes." He rolled his eyes. Every single birthday they would all have this conversation with him, and he couldn't exactly blame them. On his fourteenth birthday, his parents forgot his birthday entirely, so he was forced to spend it alone at home with Miss Sanchez and the cooks who made him his favorite cake. When Kane found out, he had been pissed, but there was nothing he could do. Evan had gotten a call from his parents congratulating him and giving him ridiculous excuses as to why they had forgotten a few days later. "My mom called me earlier during lunch and said a quick happy birthday. My dad called about an hour or so ago. He gave me this big bullshit speech about how now I'm officially a man and what universities I should start applying to. He wants me to major in business and stuff like that so I can start my training into taking over the family business."

"Well, as long as they called and didn't forget your birthday. Again." Kane rolled his eyes, leaning back against the cushions. "It's bad enough that ever since you turned twelve, they're never in town for your birthday."

"Can we change the topic, please?" The subject of his absent parents always made him uncomfortable. It was the root of his abandonment issues, and that was a conversation that he was more than okay with delaying on having with himself. Especially now that Miss Sanchez would eventually be leaving.

"Sure, have you guys started that assignment for Symanski's class? Some of the questions I had to look up on the internet cause I had no fucking clue. When I was searching, I also looked up local werewolf legends, and guess what? That werewolf guy Alexavier brought up today, Beowolf Lowell? He was actually real and was accused of being a werewolf, but he was murdered before anything could be proven." Jeremias Webster had deep dark skin with a fade wave. He had a white smile that made all the girls swoon, but just like Kane, he had no interest in being in a committed relationship. Well, at least not yet. Evan raised his brows up in disbelief. The story was true? "Not just that, when they did the autopsy on him, guess what the cause of death was? A silver bullet to that heart and the bullet was laced with aconite."

"Wait, are you being serious?" Sawyer scoffed in disbelief as he pulled his phone out to most likely look up the article. It was common among them; whenever they were arguing, someone would always end up looking something up on their phone to prove or disprove a point.

"I have a question that's going to make me sound like an idiot, but what is aconite?" Mitch was the youngest of their group and the smallest as well. They usually shoved him around a bit, but they were never mean.

"It's another name for wolfsbane. Also, just so you know, wolfsbane is poisonous to everyone. The whole werewolf thing is just a myth. Farmers used to use it to keep the animals away from their livestock hence the name." Kane explained though there was a weird look on his face, which Evan recognized as distaste. It was the same look he always wore whenever someone brought up the topic of Midnight Alexavier. "Also, Jeremy, you said that Alexavier brought the legend up? What else did he say?"

"Oh, he just went on about body temperatures and climates and how heat is a no no for werewolves." Jeremy shrugged and watched over Sawyer's shoulder as he searched up local legends. "If anything, I'm going to try and sit next to him, he seems to know about werewolves, and I need to keep my grade in that class up."

"Since we're on the topic of Midnight." Evan turned, so his body was faced towards Kane's. His sea-green eyes met his best friend's emerald ones directly. "You want to explain to me why you have such a big issue with Alexavier? Don't deny it because whenever someone brings him up or when you're on the same premises as him, you get this look of resentment in your eyes. Has he done anything to you that I need to know about?"

 _I need a real reason for me to punch him in the face other than just the explicit basis of not liking him_ , Evan thought sarcastically.

Kane ran a hand through his dark ginger hair, stressfully glancing up at the ceiling where the beautiful crystal chandelier Evan's mother picked hung. "Let's just say out families don't get along. The Grosvenor's and Alexavier's have been in Veniko for generations since they migrated from Europe, but they've never gotten along. Midnight has never done anything personal against me, so I guess my dislike for him isn't fundamentally based on anything personal."

"So basically, you don't like him because your family doesn't like him? What if you have just been hating him for no reason at all, and he's actually a pretty chill dude?" Jeremy asked, raising a dark brow questioningly at Kane, who set his jaw in anger.

"I don't need to talk to him to know he's a fucking asshole!" Kane snapped, his upper lip curling into a furious snarl. "Trust me, there are things about him that you don't know about. Like for example, when his mother died, he left his father and sister to deal with the pain all by themselves. He turned his back on them and on his beliefs."

Evan froze as Kane regained his breath, but there was a look of regret on his face like he slipped out a piece of information that he shouldn't have. Midnight's mother was dead? That would actually explain his depressed and distant aura that he carried with him. He was dealing with the trauma of losing his mother. While Evan's mother was absent for most of his life, she was still alive, and he knew she was out there somewhere. He couldn't imagine losing one of his parents to death, and he felt as if Kane was a little apathetic with the insensitive statement he gave.

"How did she die?" They looked towards the staircase to see Nova sitting on the steps listening to their conversation without their notice. Her expression was mostly unreadable, but Evan saw a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"I've said enough," Kane grumbled, facing forward, turning his back to her. "Just make sure you don't say anything to him about it. He's not afraid of breaking your face just because you're a girl."

"I'm not afraid of him." Nova scoffed, standing up, walking towards the couch, standing behind Evan. "Come on, spill. You seem to know more about him than you let on. You said he turned his back on his family and his beliefs when his mother died. How?"

"Drop it, Aldred." Kane turned to glower at her, but she didn't cower from his glare.

"No. I don't trust this Alexavier guy, and I can't be the only one who's curious about him and his family. You weren't there today in Symanski's class. He knew a lot of weird shit, especially about werewolves, so much that it freaked me out. Also, I know for a fact you've all seen the scars he's covered in." That got everyone's attention making Kane's eye twitch in irritation.

"I only know what I told you. That's it, end of discussion."

"Well, I don't believe you."

"I don't fucking care."

"Oh shit!" Sawyer's eyes widened while Jeremy wore a victorious smirk on his face. "Look like Jeremy here was right about the Lowell guy. Here it is, Beowolf Lowell was killed in 1849 by a man named... no fucking way! Huntingdon Fowler Alexavier!"

"Wait, hold on, I didn't read that part." Jeremy snatched Sawyer's phone away, reading the article frantically.

"So his ancestor killed a man because he thought he was a werewolf, so what? Back in those days, it wasn't uncommon." Mitch shrugged.

"No, what makes it weird is that Midnight looks like he continues on the family business and hunts werewolves himself." Nova rolled her eyes before glancing outside and saw that the sky was now navy blue. "Well, I'm off to the kitchen since Kane over here doesn't want to cough up any more information. While this conversation isn't over, I'll postpone it just because I don't want to cause an argument on Evan's birthday. See, I'm mature like that. You should try it some time, Grosvenor."

They all waited for her to leave before all turning to stare at Kane, who stiffly stood collecting all the blankets and cushions walking upstairs pointedly ignoring their gazes. Evan sighed, doing the same as the rest of his friends began following suit. They began to move the furniture around and getting the place ready for the party. Setting the tables up and helping Nova put the food on the table as some of her friends began arriving. It was ten o'clock when people started coming. Kane and some of the guys went upstairs to retrieve the booze while Evan spoke to the DJ about the playlist, ensuring everything was functioning before he stopped by the kitchen to see the girls gossiping around the counter.

He raised a brow at Nova when she caught him staring. All the girls immediately stopped talking when they saw him poking his head in. "You girls doing okay here?"

"No, we're dying from the lack of male figures around us." Jacinda, one of Nova's close friends, stated sarcastically, rolling her dark eyes.

He held up his hands in surrender. "Didn't mean it like that, but I'm going to go now before I get smacked."

As he headed towards Kane, who was currently carrying three bottles of alcohol in his arms, he distantly heard the girls giggling. He saw Mitch carrying a case of beer and took one, opening it with his keys. He took one long sip, almost chugging half of it in one go. He wasn't the biggest fan of beer, primarily when it wasn't ice cold, but so far, his birthday hadn't been the best, and there was way too much talk about Midnight Alexavier and werewolves. Evan wanted to have fun and forget all about what had transpired earlier today and deal with the consequences of it all on Monday. The DJ began to play some music as a crowd entered. They were careful about their shoes being covered in snow and used the towels at the entrance to dry them off before rushing off to either the dancefloor or to get a drink.

Evan found himself on the dancefloor, dancing without rhythm and finishing off the rest of his beer. The lights were dimmed, and the colored lights they had set off were turned on, making the lodge resemble a cheesy high school party. When he finished his beer, he made his way into the kitchen for something more substantial and saw Kane mixing the punch with vodka. He grabbed a red cup and held it out so the ginger could fill it up. When Kane tried putting the mixture in the cup, Evan pulled back, shaking his head pointing to the bottle.

"You sure?" Kane asked, raising a brow. Evan nodded, and Kane let out a sign before filling his cup halfway, refusing to pour any more, but it was enough for Evan anyway, so he didn't argue as he took a small sip. Vodka was much stronger than beer, so he knew that he had to take it easy with the clear liquid, or he would be passed out on the dancefloor before midnight. Evan made his way to the dancefloor finding the crowd of forty or more people doubled by size and were all drinking and dancing.

Unfortunately for Evan, his girlfriend was short and small, so finding her in a crowd this big would take him a minute. Especially with the lights being dimmed and flashes of random colors of the rainbow illuminating the room every other second. Making his way through the crowd, he began his search to find Nova; it took him a couple of minutes, but he found her by the food table talking to her friends and laughing about something. Making his way towards her, he put his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. He felt her stiffen then relax when she realized it was him. Burying his face in her hair, he inhaled deeply, loving her scent. She was soft and warm, giving him the overwhelming urge to cuddle.

"You've consumed alcohol, haven't you?" He heard Nova's accusing tone and knew he couldn't lie to her. So he nodded his head holding her closer. Most guys, when they consume alcohol, become wild, tired, or angry. Alcohol turned Evan into a needy baby. Not for sex but for cuddles and head scratches.

"I only had a beer and a sip of vodka." He whispered softly into her ear.

"I want to be upset with you, but considering that by the time you take a few more sips of that vodka, you'll be asking me to kick everyone out so we can cuddle and fall asleep." She sighed, turning around so she could face him.

"You say these things like they're bad." He pouted, kissing her nose lightly. "I love you, princess."

"I know. I love you too, lightweight." She laughed, which made him smile in return despite the insult. As long as she was happy and as long as she wanted to be with him at that very moment, he couldn't care less about what was happening around him.

"Dance with me?" He asked, playing with one of her curls. She nodded and led them towards the dancefloor, where they pressed up against each other moving their bodies to the beat of the blaring music.

Lost in the blasting music that shook the floor, they didn't hear the lodge clock strike midnight nor the echoes of its announcement. Through the glass, they didn't see the moon glowing warningly of what lurked in the dark, nor did they hear the faint snarl that blended in with the untamable wind or the gnarls that made the branches quiver. The sound of paws hitting the snow nor the lonely howl of a wolf calling for its pack. All of the signals were lost in the moment of the present where only living and existing to the fullest capacity mattered. Evan lost track of time; maybe an hour passed, but by the time midnight struck, he had finished his cup and was on his second one. This time he was drinking whiskey, and it was safe to say he was very drunk. The consumption of alcohol wasn't one of his habits, so he quickly got very woozy whenever he did. Almost shamefully, but it didn't bother him, nor did he really care about it either. Nova had a few sips of beer, but other than that, she laid off the alcohol. Evan was just surprised she even touched the beer bottle at all, let alone taking a few swings, but it made him grin like a fool as he gave her a kiss on the middle of the dancefloor.

Everything was fine; his friends played beer pong in one corner and spin the bottle in another. Everyone was having a good time, dancing and laughing. There was a moment where he felt time slow down and be at momentary bliss. It might have been the booze buzzing inside of him, but he didn't try to pinpoint it but rather enjoy the feeling.

"Evander!" Jacinda, Nova's friend, rushed up to him with an urgent look in her dark eyes that made him sober up a bit. "Have you seen Sawyer? He went out to get more wood, but he hasn't been back yet, and it's almost been half an hour."

At first, he thought it might have been a prank, but the look in her eyes was too sincere for it to be a and there was also the fact that Jacinda wasn't the type to entertain pranks. Instead of just going back to partying, he put his cup down, searching the crowd for Kane, who was currently seated on the couch making out with Sophie.

Walking up to them, he kicked him in the leg harshly, making Kane glare up at him, but his face instantly changed to worry when he saw the look on Evan's face. "What's wrong?"

"Did Sawyer go out to get more wood?"

"Yeah, like half an hour ago. Why is something wrong?" Kane frowned in confusion.

"Sawyer's not back yet," Kane whispered an apology to Sophie, who nodded in understanding as he stood up. They found Nova over by the beer pong table, giggling amongst the crowd. When she saw the look on their faces, she rushed over to them, asking what was wrong. "Sawyer's missing. I need you to go find the first aid kit in case he's hurt while we go look for him. Try to keep this on the low we don't want people freaking out. Take Jacinda with you, okay? Whatever you do, stay inside."

"It's the middle of the night! There could be bears or wolves out there!" Nova whispered harshly, looking worried and a bit panicked.

"Which is why I'm taking my flashlight and gun. If we're not back within an hour at most, call the cops." Kane said as he went to retrieve his firearm from his car.

"I don't like this." Nova looked at Evan worriedly, but he was now completely sober. Any buzz that he had temporarily felt was gone and filled with anxiety.

"It's Sawyer; knowing him, he just probably passed out in the snow, and we're all just worrying for nothing, but you can never take too many precautions, okay? Everything is going to be fine. Just find the first aid kit, it's in the bathroom upstairs, and take Jacinda with you because she's freaking out." He cooed, cupping her face giving her a small kiss on the lips before pressing his forehead against hers.

"Hurry back, okay?" She asked, and he nodded, giving her one final kiss before they parted ways.

Stepping outside, Evan was greeted by the icy wind howling in the night. The milky full moon glowed in the darkness of the night, illuminating the way towards Kane, who was shining a flashlight in his face. The blonde walked up to him, taking hold of the black bat flashlight. Evan heard the sound of a gun being loaded and glanced at the black weapon in Kane's hand. "Do I even want to know where you got that?"

"C'mon, dude. My dad's a hunter with a lot of guns." Kane scoffed as he locked his car. Together they began making their way towards the back of the lodge, where they had a small cabin where they kept their summer items along with the extra logs for the fire. The closer they got to it, the more paranoid and worried Evan got. The unsettling feeling that something was wrong was eating at him. Despite the noisy wind, there was an eerie stillness that adhered to the night. Every step they took seemed too loud; the crunch of the snow seemed to reverberate off into the darkness. It made Evan's grip on the bat tighten as they reached the small cabin.

Without warning, Kane opened the door shining his flashlight around. The small cabin was more like a wooden shed; on one side, they had the pool items they used in the summer, and on the other side, the chopped up wood stacked up neatly against the wall. It all seemed untouched, as if they were the first ones here. Evan frowned. Sawyer said he would get more logs for the fire, but it looked as if nobody had been here. "Nobody's been here."

"Yup. This means either this is a very fucked up prank, which in that case I will be breaking someone's face or," Their eyes met as they closed the cabin doors and started looking around the shed to see if there had been any trace of their friend. Towards the back of the shed, Evan paused when he saw a speck of something dark on the snow. Putting the light on it, his blood ran cold when he saw drops of red on the snow. Instantly he called for Kane, who rushed over. Kane's face hardened as he cursed under his breath. There was blood on the snow that most likely belonged to Sawyer. The ginger pulled out his phone and quickly dialed a number before holding the device up to his ear. "Hey, dad? I'm up in the Rue's family vacation house, and one of my friends is missing. He went to go get some logs, and he's been missing for almost an hour now."

Evan frowned in confusion as to why Kane was calling his father instead of the cops, but he was too busy following the blood specks to a concerningly giant pool of blood at the edge of the forest followed by drag marks. At first, he thought his eyes were deceiving him; he placed himself in a position he recognized as denial because, from the amount of blood that turned the snow crimson, it was safe to say that if the blood did belong to Sawyer that he would need to seek immediate medical attention.

"Oh, fuck is that all blood? I think we might be dealing with a _familia quaestio_." Kane walked up next to Evan, who stood frozen in shock, not daring to move. If he moved, that meant all of this was real and happening. "Yeah, I know having a party in the middle of the woods during a full moon is stupid, but if you didn't think it was safe, why did you let me go?"

Frantic chatter on the other line.

"Yes, I have my gun but the wrong ammunition for this kind of problem." Kane glanced at Evan, who had begun to hyperventilate. "I have Evan here with me, who is on the brink of a panic attack. What do you want me to do until you get here?"

Despite trying to sound calm and collective, there was a shaky edge to Kane's voice that only made Evan's horrible reality even worse. The blonde was slowly coming to terms that his friend had been attacked and dragged off into the forest by some wild animal to be eaten or worse. The dark trees surrounding them were tall and thick, but Evan knew they could only get bigger further into the wood. Sawyer most likely went to take a leak before going to grab some logs when someone or something came up behind him and attacked, then dragged him into the forest. If he had been gone for almost an hour, there was a slim chance that he may be alive.

The mere idea made him hunch over in nausea. Kane's eyes widened as he put his arm over his shoulder. "Evan, you okay, man?"

"He could be dead." He managed to rasp before spitting some risen bile out of his mouth. He'd been hunting before, but he had never seen this much blood, nor had it belonged to one of his friend's. His friend could be dead somewhere and all because he went to go get some logs. If anything had happened to Sawyer, Evan didn't think he would be able to sleep again. "We have to find him."

"You aren't going anywhere." Kane snapped before he returned to the conversation he was having with his father. They exchanged a few words that Evan didn't pay attention to as he straightened up, staring at the forest accusingly. Kane then hung up, pocketing his phone when they heard a howl not too far off. It was then followed by a male voice screaming for help. The voice they recognized belonged to their missing friend Sawyer O'Connell. Then monstrous growls and snarls mixed with the sound of pained shrieking and the wet noise of flesh being torn. Then uncanny quietness.

Evan's heart beat rapidly in his chest, his eyes burned, and he felt like his knees were going to give out, but his body was too chilled to move. He didn't pay attention to Kane's reaction because he was too busy trying to calm down his nerves. Whatever that monster took Sawyer, didn't sound like any ordinary animal.

"What the fuck was that?" They glanced behind them and saw Jacinda standing there hugging a dark fur coat to her body as she looked into the darkness of the forest with wide eyes. "Where is Sawyer?"

"We don't know where Sawyer is, but we've called some people, and they're on their way. Let's go back inside until then, okay?" Kane took a small step towards her offering her his hand, but her eyes lowered, and she let out a horrified gasp. Evan glanced down and saw that his flashlight was still pointed towards the pool of blood and the drag marks.

"Oh my God, that's blood!" She pointed towards it with a shaky hand before looking up with a glare on his face. "What the fuck happened?"

"Jacinda, let's go back inside-"

"NO! I'm not moving until you tell me what happened to Sawyer!" She smacked his hand away harshly.

"It's not safe out here, okay? Something took him and dragged him off into the forest. I've made a call, and a search party is on the way. Now let's go back inside-" However, Jacinda didn't pay any attention to Kane as she quickly darted past them and into the darkness shouting Sawyer's name. Kane swore, rushing after her gun in hand with Evan hot on his heels.

Using the flashlight, Evan tried not to trip over the thick overgrown tree roots, but it only slowed him down. Unfortunately, he didn't have much choice since thick white snow covered the majority of the forest floor and the trees. The snow was tall, making his feet sink in, and the bottom part of his jeans get soaked. He was wearing snow boots, but they weren't tall enough to keep the snow from getting into his sock and melting. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, but he couldn't fall behind. Kane and Jacinda were running at full speed, and he needed to keep up with them. His body was sweating from running, but the cold wind cooled it off, making him shiver and cough.

Apart from his own pants for breath, he could hear Jacinda continuously shout Sawyer's name, with Kane telling her to stop running and to shut her mouth. Evan made the mistake of looking back and saw that the lodge was no longer in sight. His foot got caught under a tree root sending him falling face forward into the snow. Groaning, he pushed himself up, dusting himself off as much snow as he could. His clothes were now completely soaked with melted snow and his cold sweat. Sneezing, he hugged himself looking for the flashlight that fell out of his hand when he fell. Searching through the freezing snow, he eventually found the bat, but unfortunately, the flashlight part had been broken during the collision. Swearing, he looked around and saw no sign of Jacinda nor Kane. He thought about calling out their names, but the ghostly taciturnity around him advised otherwise. The moon was visible through the tall tangled branches making the snow glow, so he wasn't entirely in the dark, but monstrous shapes of shadows around him didn't make him feel safe. Instead, he slowly walked, following their footsteps imprinted on the snow until he reached them. With each step he took farther in the forest, the more uneasy he became, forcing himself to walk faster. The faster he found Kane and Jacinda, the faster he could get out of this wretched forest. His nose started to run, and he let out dry coughs every five steps or so. He was going to get sick, and he knew it. He considered going back; he could just follow his footsteps back to the lodge. Then he scolded himself at the thought of abandoning his friends and pushed forward. The wind blew, making his teeth chatter and his hands shake. All he could think of was the warm fire of the lodge and a change of clothing.

He was so focused on moving forward he didn't see the twelve-foot tall figure behind him. Following his tracks, since the moment he tripped and walked alone. Unknowingly to Evan, the prodigious figure following him through the trees and shadows covered the tracks behind so he wouldn't be able to use them to get back.

Evan stopped and frowned when he saw that the footprints had stopped, but there was no sign of Kane nor Jacinda. Looking around frantically, his eyes were wide and alert while his hands gripped the black bat tightly. He stopped moving, however, when he heard a loud thump behind him.

Everything in him told him not to turn around, apprehending that if he did, he wouldn't be capable of turning back, but it appeared as if his body had a mind of its own. Agonizingly gradually, he turned his body to come face to face with a fur-covered torso with compacted arms in the milky light of the moon. The beast's wet fur was dark and thick that blanketed the muscle underneath. It was too dark to tell what covered its thick coat, but Evan could tell it was blood from the coppery smell. While it was on all fours, it could easily stand on its hind legs, but if it stood on its hind legs, it could have unquestionably be double Evan's height. From its structure, it resembled a wolf, but it was too large to be one. Its face was pulled into a muzzle, its lips stretched back into a bloodthirsty snarl with saliva mixed with blood trickling from its three-inch sharp canines. It was panting laboriously, presenting Evan with the undesired ability to perceive its rancid breath even with a mildly stuffy nose even though the beast was only a couple of feet away. Daring to look up, his sea-green eyes met with a pair of glowing yellow feral eyes.

At that instant, Evander acknowledged that was a misconception. This wasn't a conventional wolf or bear; it did, nevertheless, have a striking correspondence with a particular mythological monstrosity they had discussed in class. If Evan had to portray what it looked like, the creature before him would be it. Its face and body resembled a humanoid wolf. The beast lunged at him at full force, and all Evan could do was raise his arms in defense out of instinct as he awaited the same fate as Sawyer.


	7. Four

Evan had broken his bones before; he'd fallen off tall trees and cut himself deep enough with rocks that he had required stitches. He tried to cook his own food once, which resulted in him burning himself. So he knew what the taste of flames was. He'd gotten into fights over all kinds of things; he'd gotten several black eyes, bruised ribs, and busted lips, especially in middle school for running his mouth. Evan distinguished physical endeavors and was no stranger to him; it was safe to say. Or at least that's what he told himself all those years.

However, none of it compared to the burning sensation on his arm. He could feel the beast's teeth graze his bone, making him scream in unbearable agony. At first, it was the consciousness of having his skin ripped through, but once the teeth made their way through the layers of his flesh, he began to full the diminutive discernment of being set aflame. It was liquid fire traveling through every vein and nerve in his body. The sensation of being incinerated through just the inside made him temporarily blind as black spots danced around his vision. His bones dissolved into liquid, and he felt blood pour from his mouth. He thought it was impossible for this hellish feeling of torment to somehow impossibly enhance into a fate graver than hell.

The beast unhinged its powerful jaws from his arms, causing Evan to fall back into the snow, but he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything anymore besides the pain. Tears fell from his eyes freely, but he couldn't scream. Not anymore.

Evan was completely paralyzed. All he could do was breathe in cold air into his lungs and wish for a swift death to end this infernal torture. The worst part was his arm, where he was bitten. He could feel his own blood drip down, but it was as if he were wearing gloves that went up to his elbow.

He laid there in the snow for God knows how long, but he did notice that the pain was slowly dulling, and he could now properly hear again over the deafening sound of his heartbeat beating right in his eardrums. When regaining his ability to listen, he listened to the sound of a fight—gunfire and underworldly vicious snarls that he recognized as Evan's attacker's. Like waking up from a dream, color and shapes returned to him, enough for him to see yellow eyes trained on a figure standing between him and the monster.

His vision was still foggy, so he couldn't make out who it was, but whoever they were, they were skilled. They dodged attacks and waited for an opening for them to counter-attack. Evan still couldn't move, but he could feel the tips of his fingertips and bones, at least now. The pain was there, but now it was manageable. Before, it felt like every atom in his being was tossed into a fire. Even the little hairs in his ears caused him pain.

The monster who Evan had now come to terms with was a werewolf (although he was pretty sure he was also dead) who was now standing on its hind legs, swiping its large paws at Evan's savior. At first, he thought it might have been Kane, but his advocate's hair was too long. His protector, however, was going trigger happy on the beast, but it seemed as though the bullets made it more hostile alternatively of doing much damage, so he rearranged tactics. While the creature got on all fours to force its body to expel the silver bullets in its body, his long-haired savior put his guns away, much to Evan's horror.

Out from his tall black goth boots, he extracted a thick silver rod that was at least a foot long. Holding it over his head, it expanded into a long silver spear. The werewolf directly snarled in abhorrence at the sight of it as if they were old foes. The beast didn't get on all fours opting for circling its contender, who protected Evan, who mimicked the monster's movements as if they were dancing. The black beast lunged forward, but their opponent anticipated the attack and evaded by sliding under the creature while it was in midair. Promptly recovering his composure, Evan's savior adjusted his hold on the spear and drove the pointed silver tip into the monster's back, making it toss its head back and howl in pain. Evan observed in incredulity when the flesh made contact with the silver. It commenced to sizzle and disintegrate, generating Evan's savior to impale it deeper, pushing the entire spear through.

The werewolf shook harshly, sending their opponent into the snow along with the spear. The wolf was whining and growling as it raised its paw to cup its wound, backing away into the shadows. Unfortunately for the werewolf, the figure quickly recovered and pulled out their guns once again from their holsters and began shooting at it, aiming for the left side of its chest. The beast snarled in anger and ran off into the shadows with a trail of silver bullets being aimed after it. Then there was once again an eerie silence in the forest. Evan watched as his savior put the guns away and pick up his spear, pressing a button causing it to shrink back down to its original size before placing it back into his boot. Then their eyes met, and Evan's eyes would have widened if he had more control over his body.

Familiar cold gray eyes were both a relief and a revolting sight. Midnight walked up to Evander apprehensively before crouching down next to his paralyzed body. His calculating eyes scanned his figure for any injuries then landed on his mangled arm. Evan hadn't mustered up the endurance to look at it, but seeing the goth's reaction, he could tell that it wasn't good.

"Fuck." That was all he said as he took a closer look at the bite, but much to Evan's relief didn't attempt to touch it. Then he turned to look at Evan right in the eyes. "Evander, listen to me very closely, alright? This isn't some joke or game being played by one of your friends. This is life or death that we're talking about here. Blink if you can see and hear me."

Evan blinked once, making Midnight nod in acknowledgment.

"Okay, that's good you're starting to regain your senses. Can you feel or start to feel any part of your body?" Evan wiggled his toes. They didn't move much, but at least they moved.

Another blink.

"Good. That's good." Midnight unexpectedly snapped his fingers right in front of Evan's face making him blink rapidly in response. "Your reactions aren't delayed, which is also good. This means you don't have any brain damage as far as I can tell."

Evan inhaled sharply, trying his best to glare at Midnight, but he still couldn't move his face. He was still in too much pain to do any significant movements. It was as if his body had a mind of its own and was slowly giving him access to the parts that weren't in death wishing suffering.

"There are some things you should know. You aren't dying; it just feels like it. Also, you aren't paralyzed; your body is just in so much shock that it mimics paralyzation. It's a side effect of the venom, a very common thing to happen. In an hour, all the pain should be gone, and you'll be able to move again, but you'll have a bitch headache, but that too will go away in a day or so." Midnight explained, and while his words were meant to reassure him, Evan couldn't help but panic.

_What the fuck does he mean venom?_

"There is also some bad news as well." Midnight paused and sighed through his nose, looking into the darkness. "You're not a complete idiot; you have a brain. You know what that thing was, and what it means to be bitten by it."

It was a werewolf. A werewolf had bitten him, and according to the legend, on the next full moon, he would turn into a feral beast just like the one he had encountered tonight. He wanted to laugh in Midnight's face and call him insane, but he physically couldn't. Even if he had, it wouldn't change the reality. As much as he wanted to pretend it had all been a dream, that werewolves didn't exist, the pain in his arm paralyzing him was too real for him to overlook. It was ludicrous, incongruous, and bogus. Evan wanted to pretend this wasn't his reality, but the cold gray eyes staring at him expectantly kept him grounded, much to his inconvenience.

He blinked.

"So now that you have a basic understanding, there's something you have to decide for yourself. There is no cure; once you are bitten, you will remain a werewolf for all of eternity and even in death. It is an unliftable curse you will have to bear. Now you have to determine. Do you want to live and choose this way of life, or do you want me to leave you here for the hunters to find so they can kill you?" Midnight's cold gaze softened a bit as Evan's eyelids managed to expand a bit in surprise. His brain refused to believe that there wasn't a cure and that Midnight was just acting like an asshole, but the sincere look in the goth's eyes told him otherwise. If that were the case, then it meant that Midnight's question was also legit.

Did he want to live as a werewolf, or did he want to die?

He wanted more time. He wanted to go home and act like nothing ever happened. He wanted to be normal again, pretend this was just a nightmare and that everything would be back to the way it was in the morning, but those weren't options. Nor did he have the time to ponder on it because they heard people rushing towards them not too far into the distance. His eyes watered again, not caring if he cried in front of Alexavier. So much pain, too much too fast. He just turned eighteen, and he was now making the decision to either live as a monster or be killed. He felt his lip wobble, but it was only for a second. Closing his eyes tightly, he ignored the pain and let the tears run down his temples and into his hair. Taking a moment to compose himself, he opened his watery eyes and looked at Midnight for an unblinking second before he blinked at him once.

Evan didn't want to die, at least not today and not right now. Not when he managed to survive a werewolf attack. Midnight nodded in understanding, glancing up at the sky before looking back down at Evan. "I can take you to a safe place until you heal, but in order for me to do that, I have to carry you. I'm going to knock you unconscious and save you some pain of being touched."

While the idea sounded appealing, he didn't trust Midnight at all, and the entire situation seemed too suspicious for him, but he didn't get much say when Midnight placed a cloth over his mouth and nose. He couldn't distinguish the scent but whatever was on that cloth worked fast since, in a few seconds, Evan's eyes closed as he took a deep breath falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

_Maikoh_

It was the first thing that came to his mind when he opened his eyes. It was a short, simple name. Most likely Native American and entirely foreign to Evan. He'd never heard it before in his life, but he knew it like he knew the back of his hand. How to pronounce it and spell it even better than his own. As to why he knew the name so well and why it seemed to be permanently imprinted into his mind, he had no idea. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He knew the name belonged to the werewolf that had bitten him. At the agonizing memory of being bitten, he glanced down to look at his bloodied bandaged arm. Much to his relief, only the memory of the bite and the agony that paralyzed him caused him discomfort.

He lifted his arm and smiled when he could move again without the fear of suffering. Sunlight poured in from the window next to him. He was lying on a bed in a black wooden cabin. He could smell the wood, and the stain used to make the wood black. He saw the small particles in the air floating without care. The smell of breakfast being made downstairs urged him to sit upward. He heard a heartbeat that wasn't his own, along with an unfamiliar scent. It belonged to a man that smelled naturally like the trees and earth with a hint of mint. Toothpaste.

Sitting up, he looked down at his body and saw that he was wearing different clothes. Loose black pants and a comfortable dark gray shirt. His feet were bare, but he shockingly wasn't cold. Listening carefully, he heard the fire in the fireplace crackle with life and the low hum of the heater.

The bed he had been lying on was surprisingly long enough for his large body. The blanket and the sheets were all black, fitting the dark aesthetic of the cabin. It gave him an idea of who it belonged to, considering the same scent of the man downstairs was also faintly clinging to the bedcover. On the nightstand next to the bed with a standard black lamp made of the same black wood sat his phone plugged into the wall. He reached out with his hand to grab the device, although it felt weird to do it. He could see every micro scratch on the screen and every hair on his arm.

Glancing at the time, he saw it was almost noon. He saw that he had hundreds of notifications from his family and friends. For a moment, he thought about replying to some of them but then placed the phone into his pocket, deciding that he needed a few questions answered before he made any contact with the outside world.

Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he slowly placed his feet down on the wooden floor and stood. He felt lighter, more comfortable to move in a way, and alive. Evan felt like he could run for miles in the forest without getting tired, climb trees and do all kinds of things. The feeling was best described as an adrenaline rush but not quite. He flexed his hands and moved his legs, making sure every part of him worked. When he walked, he could feel everything around him move, the air he breathed, the wood shifting under his weight. Everything, he could feel the world around him. Glancing at his left forearm where the bandage was, he slowly reached for it and began to unwrap it with shaky hands.

Secretly he had hoped that the scar had magically disappeared like he had seen happen in countless movies, but a gruesome white scar was left as a reminder of what had transpired—the mark of his new beginning. He ran his hand over it softly, but no pain except for the memory was replaying in his mind mockingly.

The sound of pots and pans being shuffled around in the kitchen down the stairs snapped him back into reality as he opened the door and walked out into a hallway. Sniffing around, he found the bathroom and saw a spare toothbrush placed out for him to use along with the toothpaste. Tossing the bandage into the garbage, he quickly brushed his teeth, glancing at himself in the mirror. His sea-green eyes seemed more saturated, and there were unfamiliar specks of yellow in his irises that he knew for a fact were not there before.

Despite that, his tan skin was clear, and he looked relatively healthy given the circumstances. Once he was done in the bathroom, he found the stairs and descended onto the first floor. The cabin was bigger than he had anticipated and surprisingly modern with sleek furniture. He also noticed how everything was either black, gray, or a dark shade of green. The living room was simple, a long black leather couch with dark cushions and a black wooden coffee table in front of it. There were also smaller couches around it, all surrounding a roaring fire. To his right was the kitchen. It was massive with two sinks, and the island was long enough to sit at least six or seven people. The surface of it was made of black marble with white veins. The cabinets were black, and the tall refrigerator was made of stainless steel.

A steaming plate of cooked sausages was sitting there, ready for the taking on the counter along with a tall glass of orange juice. Glancing over to the stove, he saw A six-foot-tall figure wearing black pants and a black shirt cook eggs while mumbling something under their breath with their black hair was up in a messy bun.

"Good morning," Evan announced himself awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck while shifting his feet back and forth uncomfortably.

"The sausages are for you. I don't like ingesting meat at this time of day, so you can eat it all." Midnight waved the spatula over his shoulder, motioning towards the plate sitting on the island. Evan glanced at the food and felt himself salivating alarmingly, along with the thunderous sound of his stomach growling in hunger. Not needing to be told twice, he took a seat on the stool, grabbed the steel fork, and began to eat. "Let me know if you'll be wanting anymore."

Evan hummed in reply while eating. A surprisingly comfortable silence settled between them as Midnight finished making breakfast, and Evan inhaled the sausages taking a sip of the orange juice between bites. When Midnight was done, they sat on opposite ends eating in silence until they finished. Evan took it upon himself to do the dishes since he didn't want to make Midnight do everything. Once he was done, they went to the living room and sat on the long couch in front of the fireplace at respectable distances.

"How do you feel? Everything working or any pain?" Midnight spoke up, breaking the silence between them.

"Nah, I feel pretty good, actually. Also, thanks for breakfast." Evan ran a hand through his curls, trying to find something to do with his hands to avoid the awkwardness, not knowing how Midnight seemed so unfazed by it.

"Don't mention it." Midnight sat back against the cushions picking at his nail polish. "I imagine you have a lot of questions, so ask away."

"Alright, how long have I been asleep?"

"It's Saturday, so about eight to twelve hours don't know the exact number but not concerningly long." Evan released a relieved sigh relaxing against the pillows.

"Why did you help me?" Midnight paused for a few seconds before resuming what he was doing. Evan himself was surprised for bringing up the question as early as he did, but curiosity was burning a hole in his chest. He needed to know why Midnight defended him against the werewolf instead of just letting him die there.

"There are numerous amounts of reasons why but I'll tell you the main ones that'll also answer a couple other questions you might have." Midnight sat up straight and gave Evan his undivided attention. "I'm a retired werewolf hunter. Before you freak out, notice how I said retired? I no longer hunt your kind down, but I do protect those being attacked when I can. I may not like you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you get mauled to death."

Evan's heartbeat increased significantly, but he tried to stay calm, but the word hunter made him want to curl his upper lip in disgust. Instead of doing that, he motioned for Midnight to continue.

"Last night, I heard a werewolf howl, and I knew that you would be having a party in the middle of the woods. So being the experienced retired hunter, I tracked down the beast, but unfortunately, by the time I got to you, it had already bitten you." Midnight brushed a stray hair from his face as he looked into the fire. "It was bigger than any werewolf I had encountered before. Werewolves depending on the person, typically range from seven to nine feet of height. This one was around twelve. This one was big and powerful. From the size of it, it must have been an Elder."

"Maikoh. That's the werewolf's name." Evan said softly, making Midnight's eyes widened as his jaw dropped. The blonde shifted uncomfortably under the goth's gaze, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"Maikoh? As in Akela?" Midnight snapped, his face turning into one of disbelief. "No, that's impossible. The Elders never leave Europe, and if they did, they wouldn't be strolling around Veniko!"

"Well, I don't know what to tell you, but that name was the first thing I thought of when I woke up." Evan snapped back, and Midnight's face fell into one of mild panic. He stood and started pacing in front of the coffee table, mumbling to himself in what Evan assumed was Latin. "Can you tell me what the big deal is? Who is this Maikoh guy, and what are the Elders?"

"Maikoh is an Elder. The Elders are the oldest living werewolves in history and the most powerful—no wonder the silver bullets were only pissing him off. Killing Akela isn't as simple as shooting him with a silver bullet." Midnight started mumbling in Latin again until Evan hit him with a pillow that caused him to fall back on the couch. The goth glared at him, but Evan's gaze didn't falter under it. "Unnecessary."

"Not from my perspective. Now tell me more about Maikoh and why you're calling him Akela." Midnight sat up straight while taking his hair out of its bun.

"Akela is the name he received when he fought in a war against the hunters. Very few people know him as Maikoh. He is also the eldest of the Elders and possibly the most dangerous werewolf in existence." Running a hand through his long inky black hair, Midnight clasped his own forehead. "You were bitten by an Elder. You were bitten by Akela. This is not good."

"Why not?"

"When you get bitten by a werewolf, you inherit their eye color, which links back to one of the five Elders. When you transform during the full moon, your eyes will be yellow like Akela's. There are only a handful of werewolves in the world with yellow eyes, and you will be one of them. If Akela finds out that you survived, he will seek you out." Evan's eyes widened, but his confusion increased instead of being sated. "You see, werewolf venom as you have experienced is extremely painful. We've also learned that the older the werewolf, the more painful their venom will be and harder to survive. If your body cannot withstand the pain of the venom coursing through you, then you will die. Which is what happens with almost everyone the Elders have bitten."

"And if he finds out I'm alive, then what? He'll kill me?" Panic filled him at the thought of having to fight the beast from last night.

"Who knows, no one has survived an Elder bite in over a century. As of right now, however, you're safe and don't need to worry about Akela." Midnight consoled, which did ease Evan's nerves a bit, but he was still on edge.

"Speaking about safety. Last night you said that there were hunters that would have found me and killed me. You were a hunter; why didn't you kill me?" Evan asked.

"Because you didn't ask to be bitten, I can tell that this isn't the life you wanted for yourself, and above all, I lost someone very dear to me due to a situation very similar to last night. I didn't have the heart to do it; it was the reason why I turned my back on hunting for the Church." Midnight said softly, looking down at the floor, getting lost in thought.

_Like for example, when his mother died, he left his father and sister to deal with the pain all by themselves._

"Who were the hunters from last night?" Evan had an idea of who it was, but he needed confirmation.

"The Grosvenor's. Your best friend Kane is a baby hunter in the making. Once he turns eighteen, they'll slap the mark on his wrist, give him a gun and send him off to kill werewolves all in the same day." Midnight gave him a sympathetic look as Evan inhaled sharply. "Sorry. I also wouldn't go telling Kane about your new condition. He won't be as understanding as me. I've seen it happen before; the werewolf will think their friend will understand since they're like brothers, but a hunter's first duty will always be a hunter, so they always kill the werewolf when they least expect it. Tale as old as time."

Evan closed his eyes, burying his face into the pillow. He regretted not asking Midnight to shoot him last night, as it turned out living was more troublesome than it was worth. He was a werewolf, for God's sake. A werewolf. A man-eating beast who will lose all of his humanity by the light of the full moon. He could hurt the ones he loved or anyone in general. He would become a killer. Not only that, he was immortal. He was never going to age past eighteen, and eventually, people would start to notice. He would either have to leave town or face the consequences of staying, which probably meant that his secret would be revealed. The image of Kane holding his gun up to Evan's heart, no compassion or kindness in his emerald eyes as he pulled the trigger ending Evan's life without so much as a blink made him sick to his stomach.

"Is the option of having a normal life an option anymore?" His voice sounded broken and defeated to his own ears crushing his soul even further.

"Yes. You have at least fifteen years in this town as long as you keep your nose clean." Evan looked up in surprise as Midnight gave him a rare small smile. "Evan, you can live your life ordinarily in this town for almost two decades until you'll have to move. You aren't the only werewolf who has had to deal with issues like these. Family, friends, and lovers. These are all common things all lycanthropes have to deal with. Believe it or not, there are solutions."

"Really?"

Nod.

"What about the full moon? Won't I kill people around me?"

"Only if you're starving, generally werewolves eat what wolves eat. Just as long as you're eating meat, it won't matter. That doesn't mean you won't try to hurt or attack if your near any humans. If it's that big of a deal, I can chain you up in the dungeon downstairs and feed you elk all night if you want. You won't remember any of it anyway." Midnight shrugged casually as if they were talking about the weather and not the possibility of Evan killing innocent people. The idea was actually pretty good, but he still didn't know if he could trust Midnight enough for something as significant as that. The card of doubt was still displayed on the table, and Evan was playing it cautious.

"Why should I trust you?"

"There's no reason for you to trust me. I used to be a werewolf hunter; I rather enjoyed the job too. I know more than enough information to mislead you into a fate worse than death, and I can also use the fact that you're a werewolf to blackmail you. The reasons why you shouldn't trust me are endless, but it's your decision to make at the end of the day. If you want my help, all you have to do is ask." Midnight shrugged as he stood up from the couch and walked over to the bookshelf against the wall. He listed the titles off as he looked for a specific book. He clicked his tongue when he found the one he was looking for, pulling it off the shelf and dusting it off as he walked back to the couch, sitting closer to Evan but far enough, so they weren't touching. "However, there are a few basic things you should know and expect before your first full moon."

"Like?" Evan asked, raising a brow in interest as he looked at the book written in Latin.

"I like to call them the five phases." Midnight said as he flipped through the book until he landed on a particular page. The book was old and worn with yellowing pages and faded ink writing, but it didn't seem to bother Midnight. "Phase one; your body heat will increase, and you'll be sweating a lot. The first month it'll be unbalanced and out of control, but it'll calm down after your first transformation."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"Phase two; severe acne."

"Okay, nevermind. Seriously I'm going to get acne? I thought werewolves were supposed to be all hot and sexy, not fourteen-year-old boys going through puberty." He groaned, rubbing his forehead stressfully.

"It's due to all the sweat you'll be producing." Midnight went on, ignoring Evan's protests. "Phase three; your skin will clear up, and the physical changes will start to occur. For example, you'll grow more body hair. Facial hair as well, you need to buy a silver razor, or you'll be shaving every four days. Muscle mass will increase, and along with your height. The muscle and height thing won't be as drastic right away and will occur over the next few months."

"So again, I'm going through puberty all over again?"

"Basically but more drastically. Phase four is where the dangerous things start to happen. You'll go into a bipolar state of lust and anger." Midnight turned to give Evan a hard stare. "If you're going to be sexually active with a human female, you must wear a condom every time, and you have to buy specific ones because the regular ones will melt off your penis. It'll be unpleasant for both parties. You'll also have to be careful because as your body gets bigger, so will your penis and its temperature. You can seriously hurt her if you're not careful."

"Wait, seriously?" Evan raised his brows up to his hairline in incredulity. Midnight's stare didn't falter, and the blonde found himself running a hand through his blonde hair stressfully. "Fine. What's the fifth phase?"

"Phase five; semi morphing before the first full moon. Fair warning, you'll be shedding hair everywhere. Every newborn werewolf sheds its fur coat completely during the full moon. As for the semi morphing, this will rarely ever occur aside from your first full moon. The most that'll happen is that your claws and eyes will show but nothing more than that." Midnight closed the book and placed it on the coffee table. "Your first transformation will be painful."

"How painful?" Evan asked cautiously.

"Not as painful as the bite, but every single bone in your body breaking does come in as a close second, but I hear that eventually, the pain goes away. So you'll be fine." Midnight tied his messy black hair up into a neater bun. Evan frowned at the idea of every bone in his body breaking, but he had a month before it occurred, so later, when he had the time, he would properly have a session where he let his mental stability slip between the cracks of his current façade. "Anything else you want to know or curious about?"

"When we talked about Kane, you mentioned something about the Church and a mark?" Evan raised a brow when Midnight rolled his eyes.

"The Church is a worldwide organization where hunters train to hunt and kill werewolves. It was formed centuries ago by noble Christian Europeans, so they wouldn't have to hire professionals to do it. They trained and gathered information about the enemy recording it all down so it could be passed down to future generations." Midnight grabbed the book once again and flipped through it before showing it to Evan. A symbol of two swords crossing and a double-sided ax in between them. A shield with a roaring lion on it to symbolize protection was placed in the middle. Latin words were written on the edges of the mark, creating a border. "It's a branded tattoo they give once you turn eighteen and have completed your training: the Latin quote translates, _Nos hunt tueri innocentem, et occidere bestias,_ means 'We hunt to protect the innocent and kill the beasts'."

"So you have this mark?"

"I did, yes."

"Did?"

"A personal story for another day." Midnight looked outside, avoiding eye contact.

There was a small moment of silence between them for each party to gather their thoughts before proceeding with the conversation. Evan was struggling, but at the same time, there was an odd sense of calm as if everything he was being told were completely natural. It must have been the werewolf venom flowing through his system because he shouldn't have been responding like this. He knew this, and the voice in the back of his noggin was screeching and wailing for a normal reaction. Insanity must have been laced in the bite he had received, it was the only logical explanation his mind would accept, and when he deliberated about asking Midnight if he was reacting correctly, he dismissed the idea. 

"Thank you. For all of this. Means a lot considering I got all in your face yesterday." Evan said as he closed the book before gently placing it on the coffee table. Midnight nodded but didn't give him a verbal reply. They sat there in silence once again for a few minutes until Evan broke the stillness. "Did they find Sawyer?"

"Yes."

"Was he alive?"

"He was, but he had mostly been eaten, but he had also been bitten, so he had a fighting chance. Unfortunately, Kane's family got to him before I did and well... let's just say when you ask Kane what happened with your friend, he'll tell you that they found him dead." Evan sniffed as memories of Sawyer filled his mind, but he couldn't say he wasn't surprised. The amount of blood they had discovered last night was an indicator that their friend was beyond help. There was no hope for him, but they had tried anyway because he had been their friend. Sawyer had been an asshole at times but had been a good guy at heart and for him to go through all that pain by himself made his heart clench. "I'm sorry about your friend."

"Me too. He was a good guy."

Evan pulled out his phone and saw he had a couple of new messages and missed phone calls. "You said I can live my life normally for at least a decade if I play my cards right?"

"Some are lucky and even make it to twenty years."

"And if I ask you for help, you'll help me, right?"

"Only if you ask me."

"Midnight?"

"Yes?"

"Will you help me?"

"Yes."


	8. Five

The world around him was so distinctively diverse. He could discern things from miles away, detect all kinds of scents, and hear the most exotic sounds. A spider making its web, ants collecting food to take back to their colony. Every breath he took felt like he was breathing directly through mother nature, and in a way, he was. The colors around him seemed vibrant; his focus was indescribable compared to the words that consisted of his vocabulary. When he had stepped out of Midnight's cabin house, all of these new things floored him, and it took him a couple of minutes to regain his posture. He had ran around finding himself going at impossible speeds, and yet even going as fast as he was, everything around him was as clear as a picture. 

The cold weather didn't bother or affect him at all. On the contrary, he hadn't realized how stuffy the cabin had been until he stepped outside barefoot in the snow. A small amount of snow had been falling from the gray sky, and Evan watched in wonder as he saw the tiny details of the snowflakes as they fell. He even caught a few on his tongue. Testing his luck, he even climbed up some of the trees digging his nails into the bark as if they were ice axes. Halfway up the trunk, he stopped, still not trusting his gifts completely. Later on, he would have a mental breakdown of all that was occurring, but he took a moment to himself as he stood on a thick branch, watching the forest in its entirety just thrive under the weather. There were very few animals out due to it being winter, but the sound of the river not too far from where he was filled the silence. 

It was power. It was immortality. 

Eventually, when he finished running, he went back to the cabin to find the goth waiting for him there. Midnight gave him back his clothes, which he hadn't washed since they needed them dirty to make their story believable. However, they did need to get Evan a different jacket since his old one had a giant hole in the arm sleeve. While they weren't the same, it was similar enough to pass as the one Evan had been wearing. It was the only hiccup in the story, but with all the things that had occurred last night, Evan's jacket should be the last thing on anyone's mind. At least they hoped that was the case.

After dirtying up the jacket, Midnight took Evan back to his lodge. They parted a few miles away from it after working on Evan's story. He had gotten separated from Jacinda and Kane during the chase; he rolled down a hill and hit his head, knocking him unconscious. They had considered giving him a head wound, but with his new abilities, the blonde would have healed too fast, and it would have caused unwanted attention. The story was convincing, and all Evan had to do was put up an Oscar-worthy performance to seal the deal. 

Fate, on the other hand, seemed to like catching him off guard. When he had stumbled out of the forest pretending to be scared and confused, he had been completely stunned to see his parents there rushing towards him. Well, his father looked relieved, and his mother gave him a tight hug. For a moment, he didn't know how to react at first, not knowing what mask to plaster on his face other than just surprise. Then he settled for relief and hugged his mother back, inhaling her perfume. A downfall to being a werewolf was that he could smell the chemicals more than the more humanly appealing scent that attracted women into buying the product. He couldn't remember the last time he had hugged his mother since she wasn't the affectionate type, neither was his father. Evan could count on one hand the number of hugs his father had given him. It was a depressing reality that he could do nothing about. Miss Sanchez, on the other hand, hugged him, kissed his forehead, and wished him a happy day as he walked out the door every day. When she left he would fall apart since there was no one else to love him in such a motherly way but his father would just scoff and tell him that he was a grown man now. There was no need to meditate on ludicrous things as parental affection when he had to equip for his uprising as the heir of the company. 

Kane had also been there, which was expected along with Nova, who tackled him into a tight embrace while she sobbed into his chest. The sight broke his heart as he hugged her back, kissing the top of her head whispering reassuring words into her ear. They went inside the lodge, where the fire was roaring with warmth, making Evan internally groan in frustration. He was going to sweat like crazy, but he couldn't take his jacket off no matter how much he felt like a melting candle. There was also the fact that Kane's parents were there standing near the entrance. Once they caught sight of him, they looked at him with anesthetized eyes, but he noticed the subtle once-over they gave him, which made him uneasy. Repressing the urge to recoil at the repetition of Midnight's words in his mind, he pushed his nerves to the side and began to explain what had occurred to him before asking about the events of last night after he got lost. 

"I'm so sorry, Evander, but your friend didn't make it." Mrs. Grosvenor gave him a sympathetic look as he closed his eyes and bowed his head in unwanted familiar grief. 

_ Unfortunately, Kane's family got to him before I did and well... let's just say when you ask Kane what happened with your friend, he'll tell you that they found him dead. _

Midnight had warned him about this, about the fact that Sawyer had been bitten and that the Grosvenor family killed him because they were werewolf hunters that would kill him in a heartbeat if they had found out what he was. He was a monster, and from what he was told, he was going to change not only physically but mentally and emotionally. The Evander he was would not be the same one in a few months, and the idea terrified him more than the concept of his body disinforming itself to reconstruct into a man-eating feral beast. It made questions overpower any common sense he had left. 

What would he be like? He currently cared very much about his integrity but would it go away? And Nova. He loved his girlfriend with every bone in his body, but what if he unintentionally hurt her? Midnight had cautioned him about the phases that he would go through in the upcoming weeks, one of them being in a bipolar state of lust and anger. Nova becoming injured was a probable consequence of it, and it flared his self-loathing. 

The frustration was building up inside him, causing his eyes to water, making those around him think it was because he was mourning Sawyer, which he was, but his deceased friend wasn't the reason for his tears. It did, however, contribute to the cause of his mental breakdown as he found himself suppressing his overwhelming emotions that were coming down on him with no warning. 

"You know, for a guy who spent the night in the woods during a harsh, bitter winter, you look pretty good." Auryon Grosvenor said, observing his appearance with a chilled amusement, sauntering into the room coolly sipping on a cup of roasted coffee. Auryon was Kane's aunt from his father's side, and she wasn't the biggest fan of Evan, adding another concern to his plate. She was average height for a woman with an extra boost of height from her heeled boots. Auryon wore black leather pants and a tight navy shirt underneath her silver furred winter jacket. Like her nephew, she was ginger, but her hair was shades lighter, making her look like a true redhead, and her emerald eyes were indifferent and sly. She was widely known for her attention to detail, always finding the small details that made the bigger picture. If Evan had known that she would have been here then he would have asked Midnight to come with him as a safety deposit. "Then again, you're dripping with sweat, perhaps you're coming down with a fever? That seems like a logical explanation."

“Auryon…” Her brother grumbled warningly giving a hesitant glance at the Rue’s who stared at their son with a frown on their faces. 

"Thank you for your estimable input, Ms. Grosvenor," Nova spoke up before the redhead could, giving her a forcibly polite smile that had an edge to it, which Auryon returned, although hers looked less courteous. "I'll take him upstairs and get him tucked in since he obviously needs his rest." 

"Oh, but surely with the storm last night, his health should be the concern of a doctor?" Auryon asked, almost mockingly making Kane glare at her, which she pointedly ignored, but Nova didn't falter as she met the older woman in a staring contest. 

"No," Evan stated plainly, finally finding the ability to speak after his brief moment of vulnerability. Everyone turned their attention to him, but he was looking down at Nova, who was now openly glaring at Auryon, who watched Evan with a raised brow. "Like Nova said, thanks for the concern, but all I want right now is a shower and a bed. I'm a tough boy. A little fever is something I can handle. I appreciate you all worrying about me, but I'm physically fine, with the exception of my headache, which I plan on sleeping off. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some grieving to get to." 

He didn't wait for a reply, nor did he care for one. Grabbing Nova's hand, he led her upstairs to the room they shared. No one argued with him, considering he looked like he was on the verge of collapsing, which he was. Drops of sweats rolled down his temples, and he felt like he was standing near the sun with the lodge's heater turned all the way up. His heart was racing in his chest as Midnight's words echoed off the walls of his mind, but he contrived to push it to the back of his mind as he almost collapsed into his room. Evan needed to strip; with the few layers he was wearing, he felt like on the verge of having a heat stroke. Nova's eyes widened as she tried speaking to him, cupping his face with her small hands, though whatever words she said to him were incomprehensible to him as he struggled with yanking the jacket off his body. Thankfully, she seemed to understand what he needed and aided him in the removal of his clothing until he was wearing nothing but his boxers. Almost instantly, he felt better enough to stand to walk into the bathroom attached to the room for a much-desired cold shower. For a few moments, Evan considered asking her for some buckets of ice so he could take an ice bath, but felt like that was pushing his luck, so he settled for a bitter shower to wash off the dirt, grime, and sweat he gathered from running around in the forest. Nova trailed after him with a worried frown, and while he wanted to soothe her concerns, the pressing matter of his body overheating demanded to be settled before he presented his attention to any other matter such as his personal, romantic affairs. 

Turning the shower on, he stepped in, moaning in satisfaction as the icy water cascaded down his sculpted body. Closing his eyes, he let himself relishing the sensation of the water jets caressing pressure on his head, flattening his hair down to his face. A deep, gratified groan escaped his lips as he ran a hand through his hair, reopening his eyes to perceive he was alone in the bathroom. At first, he contemplated that Nova had left the room, but the audible step of her boots moving on the surface of the floor, her homogeneous breathing, and the thumping of her heart apprised Evan that she was in the same premises as him. His ears twitched slightly at the screeching noise of a drawer being pulled open, preceded by the soft shuffle of fabric. He let a small smile fall on his lips as he realized that she was gathering clothes for him to wear after he finished with his therapeutic shower. 

His thoughts then ventured to the discussion he had with Midnight about what was to come. He still had so numerous questions, but he knew that the goth would answer them with time, and for now, he would let him process and grieve what he had lost. Not only did Evan lose a friend, but additionally lost his mortality conceivably with time; there was also the feasibility he would lose himself at the expense of his humanity. Evan was a monster, and undoubtedly in some time in the future, he would kill someone; it would become a part of his natural nature that with time would dominate his every atom turning his moral compass into a questionable way of existing. 

His bottom lip wobbled as tears gathered in the corner of his eyes. The thought terrified him, for not only did the idea of turning into an abnormality petrify him, in addition, but he also had to suffer this endurance alone. The number of people who would stand beside him through it all loving, and supporting him, had shrunk to zero because no matter how much Nova or Kane wanted to help Evan with whatever ailed him, he couldn't tell either one of them the truth. Nova would perceive him as a man-eating beast and wouldn't want to correlate herself with him any further, not that he could indict her. Kane, on the other hand, would hunt him down like he were a rabid dog that needed to be put down for the greater good of humanity. 

"Evan?" Nova's soft voice brought him back to the present, where he was finishing washing his body and turning the water nozzle off. "I placed some clothes for you to wear on the counter. I'm going to make a quick call to my mother to tell her that we found you, alright?"

He hummed in response as he stepped out of the shower, basking in the ambiance of the cool air. His body temperature still felt warm, but it wasn't alarming, sultry like he had been before, with droopy eyes and sweat dripping down his body as if someone had poured a glass of water over his head. The feeling was welcomed, unlike the other recent emotions; he had been experiencing. Grabbing a large fluffy white towel, he patted himself dry before wrapping it around his waist before grabbing another so he would do the same with his hair. He was going to live forever, that is unless his secret was discovered and a hunter or another werewolf killed him. The two main options for those possibilities were his best friend, who he considered a brother, or the werewolf who turned him into what he was, but not only that since according to Midnight, Akela was the current eldest werewolf in existence. Despite Midnight assuring him that Akela hadn't known of his survival so there was no reason for him to worry Evan still troubled about the idea of coming face to face with those eerie yellow eyes. 

Shivering involuntarily at the thought of those eyes, Evan dressed quickly in a black shirt and red plaid pajama pants. Untying his hair from the towel, he decided to let it air dry before tossing the damp white fabrics into the hamper. He heard Nova whisper quietly into her phone on the other side of the room and tried his best not to listen in as he leaned against the bathroom counter. 

The man staring back at him in the mirror was someone Evan had never seen before. The man's bright eyes were converged, still bloodshot from recently crying over the loss he was experiencing and the sacrifice he would come to face. His features were structured and defined with high cheekbones with full pink lips that would be pulled back into a charming white smile that often got him whatever he coveted. His tanned skin was still damp from the shower and free from the uncomfortable sticky sweat that he knew would return eventually at full force to make his life miserable. Due to his new abilities, he could see every detail and texture of the kaleidoscope colors and patterns. The sea-blue eyes were a unique shade that would often shift blue or green depending on the season, but now there was a new addition of pigmented venomous yellow furrows. 

It only lasted a few seconds, but the furrows of yellow expanded like spilled ink turning his irises an uncanny shade of luminous yellow identical to the one of the werewolf's who had bitten him. It caused him to back away from the man's reflection with an inhumane speed, almost breaking through the bathroom wall. The denial arose as an unconscious endeavor at psychological succor, but there was no comfort in distinguishing the unrelenting truth that he was a monster. 

Evan bowed his head, the dampness of his skin converting into anticipated sweat, though he paid no attention to it as he fell to his knees in declared defeat. Tears fell down his cheeks as he cupped his face screaming soundlessly into his palms. Just when Evan's life had begun, the universe seemed determined to kick a sense of reality into him. It wasn't like he was looking forward to ultimately dying, but he always knew it was a certainty. Immortality was a notion he couldn't bring himself to accept, nor did he force himself. Looking down at his forearm, he ached to rip his arm off merely so he wouldn't have to see the scarred skin that would torment him for the remainder of eternity. The agonizing memory of how much pain it had caused him stopped him from tearing into his flesh. Just thinking about it made his bones feel weightless, causing him to fall on his side. 

Dark thoughts swirled in his head, calling him names, spitting ugly truths, forcing him down to be at what he deemed was his lowest. Everything was his culpability; if he hadn't had the party in the middle of the woods, that werewolf would have never killed Sawyer, Evan would still be human and living without the fear of being discovered by his best friend, who would undoubtedly kill him according to Midnight. He didn't want to believe the goth, but as much as he wanted to laugh hysterically in his face the next time Evan saw him, he knew that Midnight would only raise a brow at him, looking at him like the werewolf venom turned him mentally insane. The way Kane's family reacted to seeing him was confirmation enough that his family had been a little skeptical of him, especially Kane's aunt, who seemed to thrive off the idea of Evan's story being suspicious. 

Gulping, Evan pressed his palms down on the flat surface of the tiled floor of the bathroom and pushed himself to his knees. Shakily he wiped his tears away, sniffing as he clutched onto the porcelain sink as assistance so he could stand. Evan felt weak, a bit lightheaded, and was sweating heavily again. The effluvium was repugnant, making him scrunch up his nose in revulsion as he rummaged despairingly for some deodorant. 

"Evan, I know this is kind of a stupid question but are you okay?" Nova's soft voice caused his head to snap in her direction. She shifted from foot to foot; her eyes were red and puffy, provoking the guilt in him. 

"No, not really, but I'll be fine. Are you okay? What happened after Kane and I left?" He held in a sigh of relief when he found his deodorant in one of the drawers and began to apply a generous amount vigorously. The odd feeling that the product would only be able to repel the fetor coming from his body for a few hours caused dread to twist his stomach into an involuntary knot. 

"I went looking for Jacinda so we could go looking for the first aid kit, and when I told her what you had told me, she freaked out and ran. I tried stopping her, but she wouldn't listen to me." Nova said while wiping her nose with her sleeve. "I then called the other guys from your team; I just didn't know what else to do. They turned the music off and called the police. It was chaotic, some people started to leave because they didn't want to be caught drinking, but those who stayed were planning on either making a search party or waiting for the police to show up. Before any concrete decisions were made, Kane's family showed up. You didn't see them, Evan; it was really weird like they've done things like this before, you know? Like, go out to the woods searching for teenagers. They had all these fancy guns and everything." 

Evan closed his eyes as he attempted to control his emotions. Trepidation, melancholy, despair, and above all, resentment. He indicted everyone around him for what had transpired but mainly himself. Midnight had been right about Kane's family, and there was no ambiguity left in his body about it. As much as he aspired to believe that Kane could be entrusted with his secret, he knew he couldn't risk it. 

"Half of them went out to the forest while the other half stayed back here with us to make sure we didn't leave to go looking for you guys on our own. They refused to answer any of our questions and just told us to sit tight." Nova scoffed in anger as she curled her upper lip in distaste. "Especially Kane's aunt. I was so close to taking her gun from her and shooting her with it that some of your friends pulled me away." 

The image of his tiny little girlfriend on the verge of shooting Auryon Grosvenor in the face made him feel warm inside, and he let himself a small smile at the thought. He knew that, unfortunately, Auryon would turn out victorious if they ever did fight due to the fact that the redhead was an experienced werewolf hunter, and she was more than capable of handling a catty fight from Nova. 

Walking out of the bathroom, Evan was careful to keep his exposed arm out of her line of sight, leading her towards the bed. He couldn't help but cringe at the sight of the bed with the thick blankets that would only worsen his sweating, so he opted for sitting on top of them. Nova sat next to him, and much to his relief didn't lean on him. He was on the verge of another heat stroke, and more body heat would only worsen his excessive sweating. 

She recommenced speaking, but he didn't hear anything she said. Instead, his focus was held on a conversation being had outside between Kane's father, Victor, his wife Sage, and Victor's sister Auryon. They were disputing about Evan's story, and whether or not they should investigate deeper into his narrative. Other than his resembled materialized fever, Evan had appeared to have no further injury. No head injury, to be more specific, from where he allegedly rolled down a hill and hit his head, knocking him unconscious, which was the important part of his cover story for what really happened. 

"I don't believe him, Vic!" Auryon snapped, crossing her arms over his chest. "You saw what that fucking beast did to that poor O'Connell kid. I find it hard to believe that Evan didn't come across the monster. Rolled down a hill, my ass. Blondie is hiding something, mark my words." 

"What evidence do you have? All of this is based on the fact that you don't like him, Auryon, for no reason, may I add!" Sage argued, her voice laced with impatience and impediment. Kane's mother was like a second mom to Evan, so to hear her defend him made his heart soar in gratitude. It also shocked him to speak in such a manner since Sage's tone never ranged far from soft and soothing, at least whenever he heard her articulate. 

"So you're going to tell me that you don't see any problems at all whatsoever with his story?" Auryon scoffed in disbelief, and Evan could picture her shaking her head. 

"No."

"It's not his story I doubt," Victor spoke up, making Evan stiffen. "When Hugo was running patrol to see if there was any trace of the werewolf, he saw the Alexavier kid's car, which means he probably saw or fought the werewolf if his reputation precedes him." 

"Excuse me? What the fuck did you just say?" Auryon shouted, making Evan cringed, but he couldn't help stiffen at the mention of Midnight. Considering how Kane reacted to the mention of the Alexavier, he could only imagine how the rest of the Grosvenor family would react. It seemed as the rivalry between the two families went on much deeper than Midnight had let on since even Sage had gone quiet at the naming of the Alexavier. The redhead began to curse in Latin while her brother urged her to lower her voice, but she simply ignored him and continued on ranting. "This means war! The fucking witch told us that her nephew didn't hunt anymore, leaving the werewolf hunting to our jurisdiction."

"Lower your voice!" Victor hissed harshly at her causing her to stop shouting, much to Evan's relief. While having super-hearing had its benefits, it also had its downfalls when it came to people raising their voices. "The Alexavier's have a cabin house near the mountain, which could be the reason why Hugo saw the boy's car."

"Bullshit!" 

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with Auryon on this one, my love. If what we heard is true, then the Alexavier boy was probably looking for the werewolf and most likely encountered it, which means he could have information." Sage sighed in defeat, causing fright to begin to make its way through Evan's system as he sought out his phone while Nova gave him a bewildered look, but he ignored her. He had to warn Midnight. 

"We don't know for sure!" Victor argued, but the older man could feel himself losing the argument. 

"Then let's go talk to him then!" Evan could hear her move towards her car, throwing the door open as he finally found his device in the pile of his worn party clothes. Unlocking his phone, he frantically searched through his contacts, cursing himself for having so many until Midnight's name popped up, and he immediately clicked the name and sent him a quick text. 

**Evan:** Kane's family is headed to your cabin. They saw your car and think you saw the werewolf. 

"Evan! Is everything okay? My god, you're dripping with sweat. You need to get back into bed. Do you want anything to eat?" Nova rushed over to his side, cupping his face with her small hands. Her dark eyes were filled with concern at his appearance. The blonde looked as if someone had poured a bucket of water over his head as his face trickled with clear liquid. Evan nodded, seeing an opportunity for him to make a quick phone call to Midnight and warn him of the cavalry that would show up at his doorstep. He let Nova drag him back to bed, flat out refusing to lay under the covers, sitting on top of them once again, much to his girlfriend's frustration. She eventually gave up on trying to tuck him in and promised to come back with warm food, warning him not to move. 

Once he was alone, he dialed Midnight's number, almost chewing his nails off with the amount of anxiety that filled him as he heard various cars driving off in the distance. The goth picked up the phone on the fourth ring with a grumble, demanding to know who the caller was and what they wanted. As much as Evan wanted to criticize him for his lack of manners, the jock knew now wasn't the time. "Didn't you get my text? Kane's family is currently on their way to your cabin, and they're pissed because supposedly hunting werewolves is in their jurisdiction or something along those lines. Auryon specifically thinks you saw or fought the werewolf." 

"Ha! The Alexavier's giving full jurisdiction to the Grosvenor's to hunt werewolves now that is just comical in the most revolting way. Let them come. I want to see how far they're willing to take it before they'll have to heel." Midnight snorted humorlessly. His cold tone made Evan shift uneasily in the bed. "Don't worry, I won't shoot them unless they pull the trigger first. That rule doesn't apply to the redhead bitch, however. Can't make any promises regarding her." 

"If Kane does show up, please don't hurt him. I know you two don't like each other, but I would prefer if you didn't fight." Evan groaned, pulling his shirt over his head with one hand in one swift move. The dark material was damp, with his perspiration making his nose scrunch up in aversion. "How long is this sweating thing going to last because I’m starting to smell like the school’s locker room during the summer." 

"One to three days, so not long. Your scent is altering, and a bunch of other shit is occurring as well. Try to stay away from fires and keep your heater low for the next couple of days until the extreme sweating reduces." Midnight informed him, making Evan sigh in frustration. He was hoping the goth would tell him that the sweating phase would be over in a couple of hours, but Evan wasn't sure if he could handle days of immoderate sweating. "If it is any consolation, the first day is the worst day, and by this time, Monday or Tuesday, you should be back to normal." 

"This is disgusting." 

"I know, but just power through, and you'll be fine. I suggest you don't go to school for a few days or you'll be really uncomfortable. Fake being sick or something until the sweating phase is over." 

"Alright, thanks for the advice." 

"Sure." 

An awkward silence settled between them momentarily before Evan spoke up. "You were right." 

"Often am. What was I right about?"

"Kane and his family. If you hadn't found me, I would be dead right now or maybe even worse. I owe you my life." 

"You don't owe me anything. Just make sure you don't get caught and killed. I have to go now and make a few calls since the Grosvenor's want to throw a tantrum about what I can and can't do ostensibly." Evan could practically see Midnight roll his eyes sarcastically and found himself smiling. The goth offered him a short goodbye before hanging up abruptly. It was clear as day that Midnight didn't know how to handle gratitude being given to him.

Placing his phone on the nightstand, Evan took his shirt and wrapped it around his left forearm, covering up his bite mark. If he kept it concealed, there was a less likely chance anyone would see it. He heard the sound of two sets of boots, one of them being too heavy to belong to Nova, and then a soft knock on the door. Sniffing, the scent of his parents seemed to knock him back into reality. Quickly he used his shirt to wipe as much sweat off himself as he could, wincing in disgust, biting back the urge to regurgitate. 

"Come in!" He said loudly, once Evan thought he seemed somewhat presentable, but he knew the chances were unpromising. His mother was the first to enter the room, her face plastered in a sympathetic smile as she walked over to the bed, almost forcing herself to sit on the edge.

"How are you, darling?" Katherine asked him, tucking a damp strand of his hair behind his ear. The whisper of Midnight's advice made him think for a moment on whether or not to take it. Weighing the pros and cons of it all, he decided to take it. 

"I don't feel good physically, mentally, or emotionally." He admitted, which wasn't a complete lie. Evan felt as if he were sitting in the middle of a furnace, and all the sweat he had wiped away had come back at full force, making him look extremely sick. He wanted to dive headfirst into the bitter snow outside and relish on its coolness. The heat was commencing to mess with his head making him feel weaker and exhausted, which he knew couldn't be a good sign. "Can I take the next few days off?" 

"Of course," Katherine answered before Evan's father could intervene, making him internally sigh with relief. The blonde woman gave her husband a warning look before giving her son a reassuring smile. Is there anything else we can get you?"

"No, thank you, mother." He smiled at her, which made hers brighten, but even though she wore a happy face, Evan saw the worry in her eyes. His sweating was dripping down his body once more, and the deodorant was working less and less by the minute, making him self-conscious as he made sure to keep his arms down by his sides. Katherine's smile dropped as she took in her son's appearance, but before she could make any comment on it, Nova walked it with a steaming bowl of soup, much to Evan's relief and dismay. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the Rue family staring at her. Nova had met Evan's parents before, and while his father approved of her, his mother, on the other hand, wasn't the biggest fan but didn't vocalize it like Kane did. 

"Right, well." Alexander cleared his throat awkwardly. "I believe that's our cue to leave. Let us know if you need anything else, son. When you feel like traveling, I'll send over a chauffeur to take you home. Take good care of our boy Nova, we're leaving him into your capable hands. Come now, honey."

Katherine reluctantly stood from the bed softly blowing her son a kiss, who softly smiled at her and watched as his parents left the room, knowing that they probably wouldn't see each other again for the rest of the month or if Evan got sick or worse. Evan sighed, looking down at his lap with a frown. Each visit got shorter and shorter to the point where his parents felt more like a distant family than his progenitors. Nova gave him a tender smile handing him the bowl of soup, the steam of it hitting his face like a gunshot, almost making him want to cry again but held back his tears as he picked the spoon up. 

This was his life now.


	9. Six

The next few days were a living inferno for Evan as his sweating worsened. Literally. He felt as if he were hunkering in one of the sultriest pits of hells sweltering and disintegrating away, prompting him to want to heave in abhorrence of his own body, which he did several times. Miss Sanchez, bless her soul, only made the situation worse by piling more and more blankets and covers over him. On Saturday morning, he was back home exuding profusely plus sobbing uncontrollably from his melancholy and maddening discomfort. That same night Evan had filled his porcelain bathtub to the brim with ice and water, locking himself inside for hours, finding momentary relief until his extreme body heat melted all the ice turning the water lukewarm. Monday morning, however, he was still sweating ridiculously, but it hadn't been as awful as it had been during the weekend, and he wasn't vomiting anymore, which he counted as a victory. 

Nova and Kane had checked up on him multiple times, making sure he was okay, making him feel a bit better about the situation. Spending a lot of time in his room and scarfing down any food placed in front of him also gave him time to think some things through. Evan knew he couldn't tell Kane his secret no matter how much he wanted to trust his childhood friend. Midnight made sure to inform him what would happen exactly if the Grosvenor family found out he was a werewolf. They would instantly detain him and take him back to the local Church they served for questioning. Werewolves were normally shot on sight, but since Evan had a personal connection to the family so they would investigate his Turning, mainly the name of the werewolf who turned him, which is where things would really go downhill for the blonde. If the Church found out that Evan was bitten by an Elder as powerful as Akela and survived, there would be a monumental reckoning. Hunters, Knights, and even some Gargoyles would gather demanding answers, such as the location of the Elder's meeting place. Since Evan had a connection to Akela, they would use him to track down the Elder, and the war that had dwindled to petty hunts would flare up again, turning into genocide against werewolves. 

No, telling Kane wouldn't be an option. Evan didn't want to be the one responsible for the death of innocent lives who would get caught up in something as chaotic as a hunter and werewolf war. Telling Nova wasn't a great idea either when Evan knew that in either trying to help him, she would get caught up in something she shouldn't because Akela came looking for him, or even worse, he hurt her for getting too close to him when she should have been staying away. The people he was the closest with couldn't know his secret, and he found himself lamenting about it vigorously. He knew it was for the best, yet that didn't make it fair. 

Like a miracle, on Tuesday morning, his excessive sweating had stopped like magic, and his body temperature had calmed down enough for him to not worry his nanny, who had been freaking out ever since she saw the state he was in when he had arrived home. 

Unfortunately, due to missing school on Monday, he also missed the memorial the school did in Sawyer's honor. At the thought of his deceased friend, Evan closed his eyes as bittersweet memories played in his mind. He wanted to be angry with the one who mauled one of his close friends, but even if he wanted to hate Akela, the werewolf had no control over himself. Just like how Evan wouldn't have any control over himself the upcoming full moon. 

Wednesday morning, he was back in school, sitting in class pretending to listen to the teachers but as much as he tried to force himself, he couldn't seem to focus. Angry red dots had appeared that morning, making him groan in frustration as he remembered that he was now in phase two according to Midnight, and this stage could last up to almost a week. The acne didn't harm corporally; his complacency, on the other hand, was up for debate. Midnight told him that it would go away on its own and not to pick at them, which would only irritate his face making the acne spread and last longer than it should. They had a tutoring session today after school, and they decided to go back to Midnight's cabin since it was more private, meaning Evan could walk around without having to wear various layers of clothing due to the harsh snowstorm outside. It also gave them a chance to talk about other things as well Evan could ask more questions about what he was and what to expect since there was still so much he didn't know. 

After school, he informed Nova that he would be running errands for the rest of the days then do homework and that he would spend time with her tomorrow. The way the white lies slipped from between his lips appalled him since Evan wasn't much of a liar but considering what he was, it was something he had to get used to doing. He had called Miss Sanchez and informed her that he would be going out with a couple of friends and that he would be back later around dinner time. Kane was the only person he didn't have to lie to because his friend had family plans he couldn't get out of, which saved the blonde from having to make up an excuse to not be able to hang out with him. 

Midnight and Evan had agreed on taking the goth's car to his cabin, and he would also be driving the jock near his home. Evan had taken the bus to school instead of using his car, so he wouldn't have to go back to the school to retrieve it. It was overall more convenient for them both. When the final bell rang, signaling that school was over, Evan said goodbye to Nova and walked a few blocks away from the school, where he and Midnight agreed on meeting. A few minutes passed when the sight of a familiar sleek black muscle car pulled up to the curb of the street. Evan quickly climbed in, thankful that the heater wasn't turned up all the way. The majority of the drive was ridden with a silence that made Evan shift uneasily until he couldn't stand it anymore. "Anything important I missed while I was melting away like a candle?" 

Midnight snorted at the analogy, "No. The memorial was sad, but there wasn't anything said there that you won't probably hear at his funeral. Sorry for your loss." 

Evan set his jaw, shaking his head as he stared at the passing by buildings and trees. "His parents should be going to his football games, not his fucking funeral." 

The goth drove in reticence for the passing minute before stopping at a red light to look at the blonde with a ghastly serious look on his face that made Evan's stomach twist uneasily. "I know he was your friend, but I strongly suggest you don't try to seek revenge for his death. Akela is not someone you want to mess with, and you haven't even gone through your first shift yet. The farther away you are from him, the better your chances are of surviving. The notion of the Elders leaving Europe is worrying enough as it is, and the fact that the most powerful one was spotted here in Veniko should give me reason enough to alert other hunters, but if I do, it'll just trail back to you." 

"I wasn't planning on it." Evan sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "It just sucks knowing there is nothing I can do regarding avenging my friend, you know?" 

"I do." Midnight admitted softly, a look of agony flashing in his cold gray eyes. 

Evan looked at the goth curiously, but Midnight ignored him beginning driving once more when the light turned green. The blonde has the feeling that whatever the retired hunter was referring to it had to do with his mother's death which Midnight didn't know Evan knew about. Truth be told, he didn't know much about Midnight. Evan knew he came from an old hunting family; he had an older sister, and his mother was killed. Other than that, there wasn't much to go on. It was more speculation than anything else. 

"Is your aunt really a witch?" Evan blurted out before he could catch himself, but Midnight seemed unbothered by the question and even gifted the blonde with the sight of one of his rare smiles. 

"Yes, but not in the way you're thinking. Luna doesn't worship the devil or any weird Satanic bullshit the people of this community have made up. She's more of an elemental and has an affinity to certain things." Midnight revealed as he took a turn. "It was witchcraft that created the werewolf curse." 

"Huh, so if werewolves and witches are real. What else is real?" 

"Vampires, dragons, demons, and angels. Gods from different pantheons, which yes it also means that Hell and Heaven are real, but that's more Gargoyle territory. You're a werewolf, so if you die, you go to the Greek Underworld since that's where the witch who created the curse originated from." Evan sat there with his mouth hanging open, staring at Midnight's unfazed posture in incredulity. "God is also real, but again you're a werewolf now, so He won't pay attention to you now or anyone for that matter since allegedly He's a deadbeat, though that's a philosophical conversation to be had with someone who is a bit more educated on the topic. More importantly, someone who isn't me who gets uncomfortable at the talk of religion." 

"God is real."

"Yup."

"Holy fuck." 

"I don't think you want me to answer that." Evan glared at Midnight, who smirked to himself. 

"What can you tell me about Akela and the other Elders?" Evan asked, shifting the conversation knowing that the topic of religion would lead to an argument. 

"Like I said before, there are five of them, and they're not only just the oldest werewolves to live but they’re also the most powerful as well. Only certain weapons can truly hurt them. With enough bullets, you can slow them down enough to either escape or find another weapon to kill them. Well, in theory, no hunter has ever successfully killed an Elder before." Evan frowned in confusion, recounting the night he was bitten and how guns had been useless against Akela. "If my calculations are correct, Akela is a little over five or four centuries old, making him the eldest of the five. He was bitten by a European werewolf, most likely Spanish. Not much is known about his Turning but what is known is that he killed a lot of hunters and werewolves alike. The speculation is that during his first shift, Akela killed his family, inducing him to seek retribution, another reason why I don't suggest going after Akela. He's an experienced fighter which makes taking him down practically impossible."

"Your spear hurt him." Evan pointed out, causing Midnight's grip on the steering wheel to tighten, turning his knuckles white. "If Akela is so powerful, then how come you weren't having any problem with fighting him?" 

"You're joking, right? I almost got fucking killed; I use that spear as a last resort because getting that close to a werewolf is a risk of being injured or Turned, and I don't if you've been paying attention, but in the world I come from, being Turned gets you killed." The goth scoffed, shaking his head. "Those who chose to be hunters have to wait until they're the age of eighteen, I was a special case since I was almost twelve when I was blindsided by a werewolf. That spear I used to fight Akela not only saved my life but it also got me too close and I almost lost my eye." 

Evan recalled seeing Midnight's scar on his face and tried his best to hide his wince. The icy tone the goth used told him to drop the subject while he still could. "So Akela killed all the werewolves older than him, making him the eldest, got it. What about the other four? I haven't heard you mention any of them in detail." 

"Eldest to youngest are Selene, Remus, Lucius, and Celastria. Selene Lykos was Turned a century or so after Akela. She's of Greek origin and a real piece of work, so I've heard, the kind of werewolf who thinks that humans are beneath her. The God mentally, I like to call it. If it were up to her, she'd enslave the human race." Midnight rolled his eyes as Evan raised his brows up to his hairline. "Next in line would be Remus Alexander Grayhound. He's only a few decades younger than Selene, and he's an arrogant piece of shit. Grayhound is known for Turning hunters just to see other hunters having to kill one of their own." 

Midnight spat the Elder's name like it was tar virulence dripping from his lips as he didn't even bother to suppress his resentment and loathing from Evan. So much so that whatever intricacy the goth had with the Elder was personal. The blonde's curiosity was starting to get the better of him, but the thought of further exacerbating a highly trained werewolf hunter kept him opening his mouth and making the circumstances worse. "What about Lucius?" 

"Quiet, hasn't Turned many people as far as the hunters and knights are aware. Rumor has it he has a nasty temper on him. Roughly over two hundred years old. The youngest is Celastria Ulfred, she's of English origin like Remus. She just turned two hundred, roughly give or take a few years but has a similar opinion to Selene when it comes to humans though not as bad." Midnight shrugged, regaining his posture slipping back on his mask of void emotion. 

"So you're telling me there aren't werewolves older than two hundred out there?" Evan raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Not really, no. There is one werewolf who is older than most of the Elders, and he used to be an Elder before leaving to join a pack then becoming the Alpha. His name is Alekséy Volkov, his pack used to be in Russia, but he migrated it to Alaska a century ago. The reason why he left the Elders is unknown. There's speculation that Volkov and Akela didn't get along, which could be why he left though the reason is still a mystery. He keeps his head low and avoids hunters so they won't bother him or his pack members." Midnight took a turn leading them into a secret road that only hunters could see that would go up to the Alexavier's cabin. "To become an Elder isn't just a simple factor of age. When a werewolf reaches a certain age, they're allowed to challenge one of the Elders, most likely the youngest, in order to replace them, which is what happened with Celastria. However, she didn't have to kill Volkov for his position since he gave it up, letting the other members decide who the fifth member of the Elders would be. You have to prove yourself to the other four Elders that you are worthy of being one of them. Other than that tidbit of information, not much is known about the process since werewolves are very secretive about their culture."

"Werewolf culture?" 

"Yeah, they have all kinds of traditions especially involving mating. Again, since werewolves are very secretive, not much is known about the subject. If you wanted more information on that, you'd have to ask another werewolf who would know, or you could get access to books and scrolls from a nearby pack if you show them your registration." Midnight parked his car near his cabin, turning the engine off as Evan frowned in confusion. The goth sighed through his nose, leaning back against his seat, a bit peeved that he would have to explain every term he threw at the jock. "All newly bitten werewolves have three months to register themselves to the Elders if they're living outside of a pack, the Elders then give you registration papers as proof you need to keep in order not to get prosecuted by them if they decided to investigate you for whatever reason. Think of it as a social security card or a birth certificate." 

"How do you register to the Elders?"

" _You_ don't." Midnight snorted crudely, opening the door and climbing out of the car, not caring if Evan was following him inside or not. 

Evan scoffed at the rudeness, quickly climbing out so he could follow the goth inside, watching as the paler man moved towards the bookshelf containing all the old books and scrolls Midnight had used to explain to him what he was the day he woke up after being bitten. "Why the hell not?"

"Because when you register, you have to put the name of the werewolf who bit you, and the papers you have to sign have a spell placed on them which means you can't lie on them. Ergo Akela finding out you survived and him coming here to find you to do God knows what with you." Midnight stated sarcastically as he plucked a few books from the shelves walking over to the couch. "No one can know who bit you or that you were even bitten, Evan. The faster you come to terms with that, the lesser the consequences will be in the future if everything goes to shit."

"I get it, alright!" Evan snapped, feeling his eyes shift involuntarily like that time his eyes turned yellow in the bathroom back at the lodge, making Midnight's eyes narrow down at him. Despite the intense glare, the goth was giving him, the blonde had had it with bottling up his emotions. "I can't trust anyone but you, which by the way, is getting more challenging to do because I don't know if you've noticed, but you're an insensitive asshole. I'm grateful, don't get me wrong, you saved my life, except this isn't the most ideal situation for either one of us, so excuse me if I'm not thrilled that you're the only one I can confide in."

Midnight stared at him with a blank look on his face but didn't retaliate. A silence settled between them as Evan went into the kitchen to grab something to eat since it seemed as if the former hunter had no words to respond to his outburst. Evan began to angrily strip down until he was only wearing his jeans, even slipping off his boots and socks. Folding his clothes, he placed them on one of the stool chairs around the island before standing up to his full height stretching, sighing in relief that he wasn't being suffocated by the tremendous amounts of layers Miss Sanchez made him wear. A few minutes later, Midnight walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge, pulling out a slab of meat from the freezer, making his mouth water at the sight. Ever since he became a werewolf, Evan's craving for food had concerningly increased, but Midnight had assured him it was normal and a good sign that he had a colossal appetite. 

"You never did tell me how it went when the Grosvenor's showed up here on Saturday," Evan spoke up, leaning against the counter, watching Midnight work on preparing the meal. 

"I didn't shoot anyone if that's what you're infiltrating. I knew they would be coming in numbers, so I called my aunt, and she came over for when they arrived. There was a bit of a dispute which is anticipated when there are two hunter families in one town, but we held our ground desisting in them backing off. At least for now." The former hunter reached for some pans turning the stove on, not seeing the frown on Evan's face. 

"Does Luna know about me?"

"Yes." 

" _What_?" Evan demanded sharply, standing up straight. 

"Relax, if Luna wanted you dead, she would have killed you a long time ago, and she won't tell anyone because frankly, she doesn't really care. As long as you don't maul and mangle anyone, she won't get involved. She's retired like me, indicating you won't have to worry about her hunting you down anytime soon." Midnight explained casually, not reacting to Evan's upheaval. Something he had begun to commonly do much to the blonde's annoyance. 

"Does anyone else know?" 

"No. It's unlikely that Luna told Akantha." 

"Who?"

"Her daughter." 

"Another hunter?" Evan crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Midnight accusingly.

"Nah, Akantha is only seventeen, implying she's not old enough to be a hunter, not that Luna would let her become one. Technically the entire Alexavier clan are classified as retired werewolf hunters; some of my cousins don't even know about the existence of the supernatural world." Evan blinked in astonishment, realizing that this was the first time since they met that Midnight was speaking about his family so openly without becoming all angry and melancholic. Maybe it was because what they were talking about didn't relate too much to his deceased mother. Keenly aware of this knowledge, Evan decided to prod a little further in an attempt to get more information out of him like he had during their first tutoring session. 

"I have three uncles from my dad's side and two from my mother's, but I don't have a close relationship with any of them. They only stayed with us on certain holidays, and at first, I thought the reason why they didn't often visit was because of me, you know? That maybe they didn't like me or something. Turns out they have issues with my parents, who also seem to avoid me unless I'm missing or dying." Evan confessed, looking down at the floor, slipping his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. He hadn't told anyone that, not Kane or Nova, but he figured that if Midnight could keep his werewolf secret, then he wouldn't go around telling people at school about his family issues. 

Midnight was quiet for a long time cooking in serene, making Evan pout in disappointment that his plan to get the goth to open up hadn't worked until he heard Midnight's deep voice whisper, "I have four uncles and two aunts from my mother's side of the family. I barely know anything about my father's side, and I don't care for them, so it's all the same to me. I was closer to my mother's side anyway." 

"So Luna is your mother's sister?"

"Yes. She's the oldest of seven."

"Damn, seven? How many cousins do you have?" 

"Well, let's see. Luna has three, Orion and Rigel each only have one, which then makes the sum five. Magena has four, Davorin has two, Raven has three, and Corvus has six. Adding it all up, the total is twenty. If you include my sister and me, we're twenty-two." Midnight calculated pausing at times so he could think. 

"Do you keep in contact with any of them aside from Luna's daughter?" Evan asked curiously. 

"I'll call some of them every once in a while." Midnight shrugged. 

"I don't talk to any of mine; they have the same opinion of me that my uncles have of my parents. It's not like I did anything to them, and they hate me for no reason!" Evan shook his head, running a hand through his hair stressfully. "I tried figuring out why they don't like me, but it was pointless. They even made some rumors up about my family and me."

"Hurts when people assume things about you through rumors other made, eh?" Midnight smirked at Evan over his shoulder. The blonde's mouth opened then closed making him look like a gaping fish out of water. Dumbfounded, Evan sat on the barstool staring as Midnight cooked food for them both. The aroma of the seasoned meat made him drool, but the notion that the goth had thrown one of his family issues back at him by using the ironic hypocrisy of Evan believing some of the rumors the townspeople made up about Midnight and his family. Nothing else was said between them until Midnight finished making them lunch, placing a plate of four steaming steaks in front of the werewolf while the former hunter helped himself to only one. Evan quietly thanked Midnight before grabbing the knife and fork, digging into the food, not minding that it was still poaching scaldingly. His new healing abilities were extremely useful for such things as burns or minor cuts. 

He knew when to give credit when credit was due, and Midnight was an excellent cook. Anything he made was always full of flavor, and even though Evan wanted to take a minute to appreciate the hard work that went into the making of the meal, his hunger wouldn't let him, however. Evan noticed that his steaks were a bit on the rare side since blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, yet he didn't mind. If anything, it somehow made the meat tastier. 

"Who taught you to cook like this? Because this tastes amazing." Evan asked, looking up to see Midnight gazing at him with an amused smile making him less threatening and approachable. Evan even thought that for a moment, the goth looked sort of beautiful in a dark and mysterious way. Not that he was sexually attracted to the goth, no. He didn't like men romantically or sexually, and he never would. It wasn't like he had anything against homosexuals, but the idea of another man touching him the same way Evan touched Nova made him queasy. 

"My aunt Magena, whenever I was over at her house, and she was in the kitchen, I would always help her around. Those were much happier and peaceful times." Midnight sighed lightly at the memory, looking into the distance before clearing his throat and going back to his food. 

"Where is she now?"

"Magena? She's living in South Carolina with her kids, last I heard. Out of all of my uncles and aunts, she was the first to quit hunting. Aunt Maggie was never the biggest fan of hunting, and when she saw the chance to escape the supernatural world, she took it along with my uncle Raven. Out of his three kids, only one of them knows about werewolves and such." Midnight said. 

"I take it neither one of them want to be part of the supernatural world and all it entails, do the rest of your uncles and aunts feel that way as well?" Evan asked, curious to know more about Midnight's family. 

Midnight let his fork drop emphatically on the plate, giving Evan a sorrowful glower that made the werewolf stop eating momentarily. A sense of dread filled him as the goth's eloquence informed him that he had said or asked something he shouldn't. "I want to make something very clear, Evander Rue, no real hunter takes pleasure in annihilating another living being. The Alexavier clan don't hunt for sport; unlike the Grosvenor's, we hunt to protect those from becoming victims to things they can't fight themselves. I didn't relish hunting werewolves because I distinguish that the majority of them had no alternative, just like you. You were thrown into this world because you decided to go into the forest to look for your friend. You didn't go looking for a werewolf, nor did you want to be what you are now. It was one of the reasons why I stopped hunting and why I decided to help you. The Church is so expeditious to designate you all as monsters without apprehending that instead of striving to help find a cure, they only made werewolves more savage out of a need for survival. If you get treated like an animal long enough, you'll eventually turn into one." 

Evan was speechless as he stared at Midnight in complete shock. He hadn't expected so many things to come out of the goth's mouth, but that had been at the bottom of his list. It also made him look at the former hunter in a new light. The look he had in his cold gray eyes told the blonde that Midnight had been telling the genuine truth about everything. Including the reason why he helped Evan. The jock didn't know whether detecting if someone were lying or not were one of his new werewolf abilities he wasn't aware of, but all he knew was that he could trust Midnight. 

"I'm sorry." Evan apologized, losing all of his appetite. "I didn't mean to insinuate that your family were a bunch of killers or anything, I was just a bit curious, but I can see how it came off the wrong way. I'm also sorry for believing some of the lies people told about you. I shouldn't have judged you before even getting to know you first." 

"It's okay, just don't do it again." Midnight nodded, shifting awkwardly in his seat. "I'm also sorry if I don't seem the most sympathetic or open person. Displaying emotions and comforting others isn't my strongest suit, but it seems like we both can use a bit of character development." 

"Agreed. Want to start over?" Evan gave him a cheesy grin that made the goth roll his eyes, but the blonde could see the hint of a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth, which he counted as a victory. Evan held his hands out over the kitchen island. "Evander Rue, but you can call me Evan." 

Sighing in defeat, Midnight placed his warm hand in Evan's even warmer one. The jock was surprised at how calloused but soft it was. "Midnight Alexavier, I don't have a shortened version of my name my friends use because I don't have friends." 

"I'll be your friend." Evan shrugged, shaking their hands before pulling away. "As your official friend, I'm going to nickname you Middie."

"I will shoot you in the face." 

"If that's your way of keeping me from calling you Middie, I'm afraid you'll have to try harder," Evan smirked, popping a piece of steak into his mouth as Midnight continued to glare at him. 

_I think this is going to be the start of a chaotic but beautiful friendship_ , Evan thought to himself as he dodged the knife Midnight threw at him.


End file.
